System and graphical interface for diamond selection

ABSTRACT

A search system is provided for presenting diamonds that are available for sale to a user of the search system. The search system includes a graphical interface through which the user may input search parameters corresponding to gemological features. Diamond listings are generated in accordance with the search parameters and arranged according to user preferences.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional patent application of and claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/484,120, filedApr. 11, 2017 and titled “SYSTEM AND GRAPHICAL INTERFACE FOR DIAMONDSELECTION,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/559,219,filed Sep. 15, 2017 and titled “SYSTEM AND GRAPHICAL INTERFACE FORDIAMOND SELECTION,” and the disclosure of each is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to systems and graphicalinterfaces for product selection. More particularly, the presentembodiments relate to a system and graphical interface for selectingdiamond products.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, a jewelry vendor may hold a stock of diamonds for sale tocustomers. The diamonds may be sold both as loose stones and set withina jewelry item, such as a ring, necklace, earring, bracelet, or othersimilar accessory. Generally, a traditional jewelry vendor may limit theamount of stock at a particular retail store to carry only the mostpopular or frequently purchased diamonds. This may reduce security riskand help maintain a lower inventory for the particular retail store.

Due to the limited stock in some traditional jewelry stores, it may beincumbent on a customer seeking a diamond or diamond jewelry to visitmultiple physical locations in search of a particular diamond. The needto travel between physical locations may also present a challenge tocustomers desiring to directly compare a diamond held at one locationwith a similar diamond held at another location.

SUMMARY

A search system is provided for presenting diamonds that are availablefor sale to a user of the search system. The diamond selection systemincludes a graphical interface through which the user may input searchparameters corresponding to gemological features. The graphicalinterface may be capable of searching a database of diamond listings forany listings which match or are within a range of matching the searchparameters. The listings are presented to the user in accordance withuser preferences.

In an example embodiment, a method of operating a diamond selectioninterface includes generating an interactive search interface fordisplay on a remote portal. The interactive search interface includesselectable graphical representations of a set of diamond shapes, andselectable search categories. Each search category has multipleselectable options corresponding to a diamond feature graded along ascale. A selection of a first shape of the set of diamond shapes isreceived from the remote portal. A selection of a first selectableoption of a first search category corresponding to a first diamondfeature is also received from the remote portal. A relative ranking isreceived from the remote portal. The relative ranking reflects a user'spreference between: the diamond shape and the first search category, andthe first search category and a second search category different thanthe first search category. A presentation order of a set of diamondlistings is presented for display on the portal. The set of diamondlistings corresponds to the first shape and the first diamond featureand the presentation order based on the relative ranking.

In some example embodiments, generating the display on the remote portalincludes generating a graphical interface representing the set ofdiamond listings. The set of diamond listings may be graphically arrayedin accordance with the presentation order.

In some embodiments, a database is searched for the set of diamondlistings matching the diamond shape and having the first diamond featurewithin a range of the scale corresponding to the first selected option.

In some embodiments, the interactive search interface specifiesparticular diamond properties for each of the search categories. Thefirst search category may include selectable options for diamond cutqualities. The second search category may include selectable options fordiamond clarity values. A third search category may include selectableoptions for diamond colors. A fourth search category may includeselectable options for diamond weights.

In another example embodiment, a method of presenting precious gemsaccording to user preferences includes generating for display preciousgem features, each precious gem feature including multiple selectableoptions. The method also includes receiving a user selection of a firstoption of a first precious gem feature and receiving a user selection ofa second option of a second precious gem feature. A user selection of arelative ranking is also received. The relative ranking represents theuser's preference between: the first precious gem feature and the secondprecious gem feature; and the second precious gem feature and a thirdprecious gem feature. A plurality of precious gem listings is retrievedfrom a database based on the selected first option and the selectedsecond option. The plurality of precious gem listings is generated fordisplay and arranged in accordance with the relative ranking. In someembodiments, the precious gem features include at least one of shape,cut, color, clarity, or weight.

In some embodiments, the plurality of precious gem listings is displayedin rows and columns. Each row comprises a listing for a differentprecious gem, and each column comprises one of the precious gemfeatures. In some cases, each of the plurality of precious gem listingscomprises an image and at least one of the precious gem featuresassociated with the corresponding precious gem listing.

In some embodiments, a user selection of a first of the plurality ofprecious gem listings is received. In response to the user selection ofthe first of the plurality of precious gem listings, an informationdisplay comprising an image and additional information corresponding tothe first of the plurality of precious gem listings is generated fordisplay. In some embodiments, the information display is generated alongwith the plurality of precious gem listings. In some cases, theinformation display overlays the plurality of precious gem listings.

In some embodiments, the information display further comprises aselectable option to view additional pricing information. In response toa user selection of the selectable option to view additional pricinginformation, the first of the plurality of precious gem listings andcompetitor precious gem listings similar to the first of the pluralityof precious gem listings is generated for display.

In some embodiments, a user selection to show additional filters isreceived and the additional filters are displayed. A user selection ofthe third option corresponding to at least one of the additional filtersmay also be received. The plurality of precious gem listings may beretrieved from the database based on the selected first option, theselected second option, and the selected third option.

In another example embodiment, a diamond selection system includes adatabase, a device operating an access portal, and an applicationserver. The application server may be configured to generate a diamondselection interface for display using the access portal. The applicationserver may also be configured to receive, from the access portal, searchparameters comprising two or more of: a diamond shape, a cut, a color, aclarity, or a weight. The application server may receive, from theaccess portal, a search request. In response to receiving the searchparameters and the search request, the application server may retrieve,from the database, a data array comprising diamond listings andgemological features associated with the diamond listings.

The application server may also receive, from the access portal, aranking of the search parameters, and generate data entries for displayon the access portal. The data entries may be selected according to theranking. Each data entry may represent one of the diamond listings; andeach data entry may include at least a portion of the gemologicalfeatures associated with a corresponding diamond listing. In some cases,the data entries are displayed in a presentation order that isdetermined using the ranking.

In some embodiments, the application server is further configured todisplay the data entries in rows and columns, each row comprising a dataentry and each column comprising one of the gemological features from acorresponding data entry. In some embodiments, the application server isfurther configured to display each data entry with an image andindication of at least one of the gemological features from the dataentry.

In some embodiments, the application server is further configured to:receive, from the access portal, a request to view additional detailsregarding a first data entry; and in response to the request, generatefor display on the access portal an information display comprising animage and additional information corresponding to the first data entry.

In some embodiments, the access portal is configured to communicate witha remote electronic device. The access portal may be configured to:establish a communication channel with the remote electronic device inresponse to a request from the electronic device; and in response toestablishing the communication channel with the remote electronicdevice, transmit to the electronic device the diamond selectioninterface.

In another example embodiment, a computer-implemented method ofsearching for diamonds based on an initially selected diamond includesthe operations of receiving a selection of a diamond listing from aremote portal. The method further includes generating an interactivesearch interface for display on the remote portal. The interactivesearch interface includes a first selectable search category havingmultiple selectable options corresponding to a first diamond feature andan indicium of a first selectable option for the first selectable searchcategory. The interactive search interface also includes a secondselectable search category having multiple selectable optionscorresponding to a second diamond feature and an indicium of a secondselectable option for the second selectable search category. The firstselectable option and the second selectable option are associated withthe diamond listing.

The method includes receiving, from the remote portal, a selection of athird selectable option, distinct from the first selectable option, forthe first selectable search category. The method also includesretrieving, from a database, a price range of a set of diamond listingscorresponding to the second selectable option and the third selectableoption. Finally, the price range is generated for display on the remoteportal.

In another example embodiment, a method of presenting diamond listingshaving features similar to an initial diamond listing includes receivinga user selection of the initial diamond listing, the initial diamondlisting having a first value for a first diamond feature and a secondvalue for a second diamond feature. The method further includesreceiving a user selection, and in response changing the first value toa modified first value. A plurality of diamond listings is retrievedfrom a database based on the modified first value and the second value.Finally, the plurality of diamond listings are generated for display.

In another example embodiment, a method of presenting diamond listingshaving features similar to an initial diamond listing includes theoperation of receiving a user selection of the initial diamond listing.The initial diamond listing has a set of values associated with diamondfeatures. The method further includes receiving a user selectionmodifying a first value of the set of values, resulting in a modifiedset of values. A plurality of diamond listings based on the modified setof values is retrieved from a database and generated for display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like elements.

FIG. 1 depicts an example system for implementing the diamond selectionsystem over a network.

FIG. 2 depicts an example user interface generated by the diamondselection system and displayed in the portal on a user computing device.

FIG. 3 depicts an additional filter interface, which may be presented toa user that selects the additional filters option of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4A depicts an example search results list generated in response toa user submitting search parameters to the diamond selection system.

FIG. 4B depicts an additional list of further search results.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a detailed diamond listing.

FIG. 6A depicts an example list of search results that may correspond toa user selection or preference.

FIGS. 6B-6D depict a search results list overlaid with overlay windowsof further details regarding a diamond listing.

FIG. 7 depicts a ranking menu for ranking search results.

FIG. 8 depicts another example search results list.

FIG. 9 depicts an example comparison of multiple diamond listings.

FIG. 10 depicts an example price comparison with third party diamondlistings.

FIG. 11 depicts an example user interface for searching for additionaldiamonds having features similar to an initially selected diamondlisting.

FIG. 12 depicts an example list of search results that may correspond toa search initiated using the user interface of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 13A-13B depict an example user interface generated by the diamondselection system and displayed in the portal on a user computing device.

FIG. 14 depicts an example user interface generated by the diamondselection system and illustrated in the portal on a user computingdevice.

FIG. 15A-15F depict example search results generated in response tosearch preferences received by the diamond selection system.

FIG. 16 depicts an example process of operating a diamond searchinterface.

FIG. 17 depicts an example process of operating a diamond searchinterface.

FIG. 18 is an illustrative block diagram of an electronic device.

The use of cross-hatching or shading in the accompanying figures isgenerally provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elementsand also to facilitate legibility of the figures. Accordingly, neitherthe presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shading conveys orindicates any preference or requirement for particular materials,material properties, element proportions, element dimensions,commonalities of similarly illustrated elements, or any othercharacteristic, attribute, or property for any element illustrated inthe accompanying figures.

Additionally, it should be understood that the proportions anddimensions (either relative or absolute) of the various features andelements (and collections and groupings thereof) and the boundaries,separations, and positional relationships presented therebetween, areprovided in the accompanying figures merely to facilitate anunderstanding of the various embodiments described herein and,accordingly, may not necessarily be presented or illustrated to scale,and are not intended to indicate any preference or requirement for anillustrated embodiment to the exclusion of embodiments described withreference thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood thatthe following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments toone preferred implementation. To the contrary, the described embodimentsare intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents ascan be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and asdefined by the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system and auser interface for identifying and presenting diamonds to a user thatmeet their specific criteria. Diamond selection is a particularlychallenging problem because each diamond is different having a uniqueset of features (e.g., shape, cut quality, color, clarity, weight). Eachcustomer may be looking for a diamond that corresponds to a set of idealor desirable criteria. Additionally, each customer may have a relativepreference between different criterion. For example, a customer may havea preference for color over clarity and a preference for clarity overcut quality. Traditional diamond selection methods typically are notadapted to take all of these factors into consideration in order topresent the best possible diamond from a vast number of potentialoptions.

The systems and techniques described herein may be used to present adiamond customer with a curated selection or list of candidate diamondsthat match the customers preferences. The selection or list ofcandidates may draw on a vast inventory that may be otherwise too largeto effectively search using some traditional techniques. Additionally,the curated selection may be more likely to present one or morecandidate diamonds that closely match the user's unique preferences.Using the systems and techniques described herein, the curated selectionor list of candidate diamonds may be displayed in a presentation orderor sub-set that is determined in accordance with search parameters andthe customer's specific ranking (e.g., relative ranking) between variousselection criteria. In some embodiments, the customer can change ormodify the search parameters, the ranking, or both, which results in areordering or subset grouping of the candidate diamonds according to themodified ranking. In some embodiments, the customer can indicatepreferences regarding diamond listings. In response to indicatedpreferences or series of indicated preferences, search parameters, theranking, the presentation order, or some combination thereof may bemodified or updated.

As described herein, the system may use a graphical user interface tocollect preferences from the user and present a highly tailored set ofcandidate diamonds. In particular, in some embodiments the systempresents a graphical search interface to allow a user (e.g., a customer)to input desired gemological qualities or features. Such features mayinclude shape, quality of cut, color, clarity, and the weight of thediamond. Generally, gemological features other than shape have scaledvalues along multiple grades or a continuum, such that multiple valuesof a given diamond feature may potentially be suitable to a user.

Accordingly, in some embodiments a user may select a range of suitablevalues for a given diamond feature. For example, a user may enter intothe graphical search interface a range of 1.0-1.5 carat weight, and thediamond selection system may search for diamonds within that range. Inother embodiments, a user may select a single value for a given featureand the search system may also include in the results diamonds havingsimilar values for the given feature. For example, a user may select aclarity value of IF through the graphical search interface, and thediamond selection system may present diamonds with IF clarity values,along with diamonds with FL and VVS1 values.

An inherent problem with diamond or precious gem selection is that eachstone is completely unique. This makes it difficult to find the perfectcandidate diamond that will satisfy a customer's preferences, even amongthe candidate diamonds that fall within the ranges specified by thecustomer. For a given customer input, there may be a large group ofdiamonds that match the corresponding ranges of values. The customermust then further winnow the candidates by applying some additionalselection constraints or filters. The systems and techniques describedherein are further adapted to use a ranking or preference between thecustomer's input criteria to further curate the list of candidatediamonds and present a subset or ordered list in accordance with theranking.

As described herein, in addition to receiving input on desiredgemological features, the graphical search interface also allows a userto rank those features. For example, a user may enter values to searchfor a particular shape, cut, color range, clarity range, and weightrange. In some instances, the user may prefer diamonds having thedesired clarity over diamonds having the desired weight. The user mayfurther have a preference for diamonds having a particular color overthe desired clarity. Accordingly, using the system described herein, auser can enter a ranking (e.g., a relative ranking) between theselection criteria reflecting a preference of clarity over weight andcolor over clarity.

In some implementations, once a user has entered the desired diamondfeatures or criteria, the system may search a database of diamondlistings having features that match or nearly match the customer'scriteria. The system may be further adapted to apply the user's relativerank or preference to further curate a list of candidate diamonds bydetermining a subset or presentation order of the matching diamonds. Insome cases, the listings are sorted according to the ranking input bythe user. For example, if the user has ranked clarity above weight, adiamond most closely matching a center of the range of desired clarityvalues and less closely matching the desired weight may be placed inorder above a diamond more closely matching the desired weight andhaving less closely matched clarity.

The diamond selection system then presents a graphical representation ofthe search results to the user. The diamond results may be presented inan appropriate format, such as an array of icons or thumbnailsrepresenting search results, an ordered list of the results, or a seriesof diamond listings displayed sequentially (e.g., one at a time). Searchresult entries may represent distinct diamond listings, and a user mayobtain additional details about a particular listing by selecting thecorresponding result entry.

In some embodiments, the search results list may enable furtherinteractions with the user. For example, the user may select “favorite”diamonds for further inspection. In other examples, the user may be ableto select multiple results from the search and compare those resultsside-by-side. In still other examples, the user may seek a pricecomparison with other diamond vendors or distributors to compare thediamonds available through the diamond selection system with diamondshaving similar features available from other sources. In furtherexamples, the user may indicate a preference (e.g., positive ornegative) regarding one or more diamond listings. In still furtherexamples, the user may indicate additional information regarding adiamond listing, including one or more reasons corresponding to anindicated preference. In some embodiments, the search parameters, theranking, the presentation order, or some combination thereof may bemodified or updated in response to indicated preferences or series ofindicated preferences.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS.1-18 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatthe detailed description given herein with respect to these figures isfor explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 depicts an example system 100 for implementing a diamondselection system or diamond search interface, as described herein. Asshown in FIG. 1 , the system includes a diamond selection system 102that is operably coupled to other devices via the network 120. Thenetwork 120 may include local area networks and/or large area networksthat are configured to relay data to the various devices of the system100. The network may include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, anEthernet network, a wired network, a wireless network, or the like. Thenetwork 120 may be operably connected to one or more databases 112,which may be implemented on one or more computing and/or data storagedevices. In some cases, the network 120 is operably connected to thedatabases 112 via the diamond selection system 102.

In general, a portal (e.g., a remote portal) 106 is an application orsoftware program executed on a user computing device 108. The usercomputing device 108 is generally any form of computing device, such asa personal computer, work station, terminal, mobile computer, mobiledevice, smartphone, tablet, a multimedia console, or the like. Theportal 106 may be implemented via a web browser or otherInternet-enabled interface. The portal 106 provides an interface for auser to access a diamond selection system 102 executed or otherwiseembodied on the network 120. The portal 106 may further establish acommunication channel between the user computing device 108 and thediamond selection system 102. In some embodiments, a component orportion of the diamond selection system 102 is executed on anapplication server 110 or other network device(s) connected via thenetwork 120. The diamond selection system 102 may also be operablyconnected to one or more databases 112. Thus, at least one component orportion of the diamond selection system 102 may be executed on theapplication server 110 and/or one or more portions may be executed onthe user computing device 108 of the user (e.g., through the portal106).

In general, the application server 110 hosts the diamond selectionsystem 102. In some implementations, the application server 110 alsohosts a web server 104 or an application that users may use to accesscomponents of the system 100. The application server 110 may include asingle server, a plurality of servers with each such server being aphysical server or a virtual machine, or a collection of both physicalservers and virtual machines. In another implementation, a distributednetwork (e.g., a cloud computing system) hosts one or more components ofthe system 100. The user computing device 108, the application server110, and other resources connected to the network 120 may access one ormore other servers to access one or more websites, applications, webservices interfaces, storage devices, computing devices, etc. that areused to generate a framework for displaying a compiled content set for aparticular project. The application server 110 may also host a searchengine that the diamond selection system 102 uses for accessing,searching for, and modifying content files.

The diamond selection system 102 may also communicate with other systemsutilizing the network 120. For example, the diamond selection system 102may communicate with one or more databases 112 available to access andstore information via the network 120. For example, diamond listings maybe stored in the database 112. Each diamond listing may include dataindicating gemological features of the diamond, as well as price,certification information, one or more images associated with thediamond, and so on.

The gemological features of a diamond listing may include, but are notlimited to, shape, cut, color, clarity, and weight (typically measuredin carats). In some embodiments, each diamond listing may includeadditional gemological features, such as symmetry, polish, andfluorescence. Each diamond listing may be entered into the database 112as an electronic record having searchable categories and/or fieldsrepresenting the gemological features, price, certification information,and related data.

In some embodiments, the database 112 may have one or more indices ofthe diamond listings in order to facilitate faster searching accordingto the search parameters of the user. The diamond selection system 102may configure or otherwise manage the diamond listings and/or indiceswithin the database 112, including storing listing information andretrieving the information according to search parameters.

In some cases, the diamond selection system 102 may communicate with oneor more third party systems 114 connected to or otherwise incommunication with the network 120. For example, a third party system114 may include a computing network associated with diamond vendors. Thediamond vendors may be associated with the diamond selection system 102,or the diamond vendors may be competitors or otherwise not associatedwith the diamond selection system 102. In some embodiments, a thirdparty system 114 may provide diamond listings to be included in thedatabase 112 or otherwise searchable by the diamond selection system102.

In other embodiments, the diamond selection system 102 may interfacewith a third party system 114 to find diamond information for comparisonwith diamond listings within the database 112. For example, the diamondselection system 102 may search a competitor's information hosted on aweb page or otherwise publicly available in order to construct listingsfor comparison.

In general, the portal 106, executed on one or more user computingdevices 108, provides access to the diamond selection system 102 tofacilitate user searches for diamonds in the database 112 or accessiblethrough third party systems 114. The diamond selection system 102 maycommunicate with any number of users through any number of portals 106connected to the network 120. A user may enter search parameters througha portal 106, and the portal 106 may transmit the search parameters tothe diamond selection system 102 for execution through the applicationserver 110 in conjunction with the database 112.

For example, the portal 106 may provide graphical representations ofsearch options (e.g., search parameters) to the user. The search optionsmay include various gemological features, and the user may be promptedto select a value or range of values for some or all gemologicalfeatures included as search options. The user may further be prompted toselect a ranking of the gemological features. Once the gemologicalfeatures are selected and ranked, the portal 106 may transmit the searchparameters to the diamond selection system 102.

After receiving search parameters from the portal 106, the diamondselection system 102 may perform a search of the database 112. Thediamond selection system 102 may search for diamond listings which matchall the entered search parameters, diamond listings which match some ofthe entered search parameters, and/or diamond listings with valueswithin a range of the entered search parameters. The diamond selectionsystem 102 may populate a search results list and store all or a portionof the search list in memory, such as memory on the application server110.

Once a search results list has been populated, the diamond selectionsystem 102 further organizes the search results in accordance with theranking entered by the user. For example, the search results may beordered with listings matching the highest ranked gemological featurefirst, followed by listings matching the second highest rankedgemological feature. The ordered search results list may then be used togenerate a graphical representation of the results list. The graphicalrepresentation of the results list may be displayed on the usercomputing device 108 through the portal 106.

The portal 106 may facilitate further interactions with the diamondselection system 102. For example, the user may request a pricecomparison with third parties, in which case the diamond selectionsystem 102 may interact with third party systems 114 in order togenerate a price comparison. The user and/or the diamond selectionsystem may further refine the results, change the rank order of theresults, and so forth. Various features and options available to a userthrough the use of the portal 106 and the diamond selection system 102are discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 2 depicts an example user interface generated on a portal 206(e.g., a remote portal). The user interface may be used to implement thediamond selection system or diamond search interface. In particular, auser may access the diamond selection system or diamond search interfaceusing the portal 206, operating on a computing device 208 (e.g., apersonal computing system). In the implementation shown in FIG. 2 , theportal 206 to the diamond selection system or diamond search interfaceis accessed using a web browser or other similar Internet-enabledapplication. The portal 206 may be used to access a website or mayoperate through another application executed on the computing device208.

In the present example, the portal 206 includes a user interface 216 ona display 218 of a computing device 208. In the following example, thecomputing device 208 is a portable electronic device, such as a tabletor smartphone. This is provided as merely an illustrative example. Inother embodiments, the computing device 208 may include, withoutlimitation, a desktop computing system, a notebook computing system, aterminal, an electronic kiosk, or other computing device configured tooperate a portal 206. In the present example, the user interface 216 mayinclude one or more portions that allow for interaction with the portal206, the diamond selection system, a third party system, and/or theservices provided by the American Gem Society (AGS).

As shown in FIG. 2 , one portion of the user interface 216 includes atitle 220 of the diamond selection system and/or other information, suchas instructions on interacting with the diamond selection system.Another portion of the user interface 216 includes searchable diamondfeatures or search categories 222 a-222 e. In the present embodiment,the search categories 222 a-222 e are represented by a correspondingselectable graphical representation or thumbnail. Each diamond featureor search category 222 a-222 e includes selectable search options 224a-224 e, that correspond to a diamond feature graded along a scale(e.g., set of values). The scale may be continuous, graduated, or maycorrespond to a series of grades or values associated with theparticular diamond feature or search category. The user may enter thesearch parameters by selecting one or more of the selectable searchoptions 224 a-224 e. The searchable diamond feature or search categories222 a-222 e may include the diamond shape 222 a, cut 222 b, color 222 c,clarity 222 d, and weight (in carats) 222 e. In some embodiments,additional or fewer diamond features may be included in the userinterface 216.

Another portion of the user interface 216 may include a diamond featureranking 230. The diamond feature ranking 230 includes selectable options232 to rank the search results according to preferred diamond features234. The ranking 230 may be applied by the user at any time during theselection process and may be updated or modified after receiving a setof search results. The user interface 216 may include additionaloptions, such as additional filters 236, an option to save searchparameters 235, or an option to conduct a new search 237.

With respect to the searchable diamond feature or search categories 222a-222 e, a first diamond feature or search category may be the shape ofthe diamond 222 a. A diamond's shape 222 a typically refers to the shapea diamond has been cut into from its rough mined shape. Diamond shapesinclude, but are not limited to, round, princess, emerald, asscher,marquise, oval, radiant, pear, heart, cushion, trillion, and baguette.The user interface 216 includes the shape of the diamond 222 a as acategory or field to be searched, and may include an image 226 arepresenting the shape, text 228 a, and selectable search options 224 a.The image 226 a included in the shape category 222 a may be an imagerepresentative of the shape, and in some embodiments the image 226 a maychange as a user selects one of the selectable search options 224 a(e.g., to show the selected shape). The text 228 a included in the shapecategory 222 a may be text relevant to the shape category, such as textdescribing shapes and/or a selected shape.

The user may select a shape from the selectable search options 224 a byinteracting with the corresponding search option 224 a. For example, auser that wishes to search for round shaped diamonds may select (e.g.,by touching a corresponding region of a touch-sensitive display) roundfrom the search options 224 a. In some embodiments, the user may selectone option 224 a for shape, while in other embodiments the user mayselect multiple options 224 a for shape. Once the search is submitted,the diamond selection system then searches for diamond listings whichmatch the selected shape option(s) 224 a.

A second diamond feature or search category may be the cut of thediamond 222 b. A diamond's cut 222 b typically refers to the quality ofthe cut which has been made to give the diamond its shape. The cutquality may refer to the ratio between dimensions of the diamond, suchas width versus depth. A diamond's cut 222 b is typically gradedaccording to a standard issued by a rating agency, such as theGemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Society (AGS),the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL), the Diamond High Council(HRD), the International Gemological Institute (IGI), the InternationalConfederation of Jewelry, Silverware, Diamonds, Pearls, and Stones(CIBJO), and so on. Diamond cut ratings may include, but are not limitedto, poor, fair, good, very good, excellent, ideal, and so forth. Diamondcut ratings may vary by the rating agency.

The user interface 216 includes the quality of the cut 222 b as acategory or field to be searched, and may include an image 226 brepresenting the cut, text 228 b, and selectable search options 224 b.The image 226 b included in the cut category 222 b may be an imagerepresentative of cut quality, and in some embodiments the image 226 bmay change as a user selects one of the selectable search options 224 b.The text 228 b included in the cut category 222 b may be text relevantto the category, such as text describing the meaning of cut ratingsand/or a description of a selected cut.

The user may select a cut quality from the selectable search options 224b by interacting with the corresponding search option 224 b. Forexample, a user that wishes to search for excellent cut diamonds mayselect “Excellent” from the search options 224 b. In some embodiments,the user may select one option 224 b for cut, while in other embodimentsthe user may select multiple options 224 b for cut. Once the search issubmitted, the diamond selection system then searches for diamondlistings in accordance with the selected cut option(s) 224 b.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system may search only foritems which match the selected cut option 224 b. However, because thequality of a cut is graded on a scale, it may be understood (or the usermay input as a further option) that similar cuts would be acceptable aswell. Accordingly, the diamond selection system may also include similarcuts in the results list. For example, a user may select “Excellent”from the search options 224 b, and the diamond selection system mayinclude very good and/or ideal cut diamonds as well in the searchresults. Typically, the search results would be ordered with thematching cut(s) appearing first, followed by similar cuts.

A third diamond feature or search category may be the color of thediamond 222 c. A diamond's color 222 c typically refers to whether thediamond is colorless (generally more desirable) or has some slightyellow color under natural light conditions. A diamond's color 222 c istypically graded according to a standard issued by a rating agency, suchas GIA, AGS, EGL, HRD, IGI, CIBJO, and so on. Diamond color ratings mayinclude, but are not limited to, D (absolutely colorless), E, F, G, H,I, J, K-Z (noticeable color). Diamond color ratings may vary by therating agency.

The user interface 216 includes the diamond color 222 c as a category orfield to be searched, and may include an image 226 c representing thecolor, text 228 c, and selectable search options 224 c. The image 226 cincluded in the color category 222 c may be an image representing thecolor scale of diamonds, and in some embodiments the image 226 c maychange as a user selects one of the selectable search options 224 c(e.g., by including an indicator for where the selected option 224 cappears on the scale). The text 228 c included in the color category 222c may be text relevant to the category, such as text describing themeaning of color ratings and/or a description of a selected color.

The user may select a color from the selectable search options 224 c byinteracting with the corresponding search option 224 c. For example, auser that wishes to search for F color diamonds may select “F” from thesearch options 224 c. In some embodiments, the user may select oneoption 224 c for color, while in other embodiments the user may selectmultiple options or a range of options 224 c for color. Once the searchis submitted, the diamond selection system then searches for diamondlistings in accordance with the selected color option(s) 224 c.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system may search only foritems which match the selected color option 224 c. However, because thecolor is graded on a scale in which differences between colors may beminute, it may be understood (or the user may input as a further option)that similar colors would be acceptable as well. Accordingly, thediamond selection system may also include similar colors in the resultslist. For example, a user may select “F” from the search options 224 c,and the diamond selection system may include D, E, and G color diamondsas well in the search results. Typically, the search results would beordered with the matching color(s) appearing first, followed by similarcolors.

A fourth diamond feature or search category may be the clarity of thediamond 222 d. A diamond's clarity 222 d typically refers to whether thediamond includes flaws (referred to as inclusions), and the visibilityof the inclusions under 10× magnification. A diamond's clarity 222 d istypically graded according to a standard issued by a rating agency, suchas GIA, AGS, EGL, HRD, IGI, CIBJO, and so on. Diamond clarity ratingsmay include, but are not limited to F (flawless), IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1,VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, and I3 (included). Diamond clarity ratings mayvary by the rating agency.

The user interface 216 includes the clarity of the diamond 222 d as acategory or field to be searched, and may include an image 226 drepresenting clarity, text 228 d, and selectable search options 224 d.The image 226 d included in the clarity category 222 d may be an imagerepresenting the clarity/inclusions of diamonds, and in some embodimentsthe image 226 d may change as a user selects one of the selectablesearch options 224 d (e.g., by including an indicator for theamount/size of inclusions typical in the selected option 224 d). Thetext 228 d included in the clarity category 222 d may be text relevantto the category, such as text describing the meaning of clarity ratingsand/or a description of a selected clarity rating.

The user may select a clarity rating from the selectable search options224 d by interacting with the corresponding search option 224 d. Forexample, a user that wishes to search for VVS2 diamonds may select“VVS2” from the search options 224 d. In some embodiments, the user mayselect one option 224 d for clarity, while in other embodiments the usermay select multiple options or a range of options 224 d for clarity.Once the search is submitted, the diamond selection system then searchesfor diamond listings in accordance with the selected clarity option(s)224 d.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system may search only foritems which match the selected clarity option 224 d. However, becausethe clarity of a diamond is graded on a scale in which variationsbetween grades may be minute, it may be understood (or the user mayinput as a further option) that similar clarity grades would beacceptable as well. Accordingly, the diamond selection system may alsoinclude similar clarity grades in the results list. For example, a usermay select “VVS2” from the search options 224 d, and the diamondselection system may include VVS1, VS1, and VS2 graded diamonds as wellin the search results. Typically, the search results would be orderedwith the matching clarity grade(s) appearing first, followed by similarclarity grades.

A fifth diamond feature or search category may be the weight of thediamond 222 e. A diamond's weight 222 e is typically measured in carats,and the carat weight typically indicates a general size of the diamond(as the density of a diamond is relatively constant). The user interface216 includes the weight of the diamond 222 e as a category or field tobe searched, and may include an image 226 e representing weight and/orsize, text 228 e, and selectable search options 224 e. The image 226 eincluded in the weight category 222 e may be an image representing theweight and/or size of diamonds (e.g., an image comparing the size of acertain carat weight to a recognizable object), and in some embodimentsthe image 226 e may change as a user selects one of the selectablesearch options 224 e (e.g., by showing the size of diamonds in theselected option 224 e). The text 228 e included in the weight category222 e may be text relevant to the category, such as text describing theweight and/or typical uses of diamonds within a selected weight range.

The user may select a range of diamond carat weights from the selectablesearch options 224 e by interacting with the corresponding search option224 e. For example, a user that wishes to search for 1-1.5 caratdiamonds may select “1-1.5” from the search options 224 e. In someembodiments, the user may select a range for weight, while in otherembodiments the user may select multiple weight range options 224 e or alarger weight range. Once the search is submitted, the diamond selectionsystem then searches for diamond listings in accordance with theselected weight option(s) 224 e.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system may search only foritems within the selected weight range option 224 e. However, becausethe weight of the diamonds is broken into discrete weight ranges, it maybe understood (or the user may input as a further option) that diamondsslightly outside the selected weight range 224 e or in adjacent weightranges would be acceptable as well. Accordingly, the diamond selectionsystem may also include diamonds outside the selected weight range(s) inthe results list. For example, a user may select “1-1.5” from the searchoptions 224 e, and the diamond selection system may include diamonds inthe 0.5-1 and/or 1.5-2 weight ranges in the search results, whether theentire of the adjacent ranges or a subset of the adjacent ranges.Typically, the search results would be ordered in ascending ordescending order by weight, though this is not required.

With respect to the diamond feature ranking 230, the user may interactwith the diamond feature ranking 230 in order to indicate a preferredorder of search results. Some or all of the diamond features 222 a-222 emay be included as preferred or ranked diamond features 234. The usermay select an ordered option 232 for some or all of the ranked diamondfeatures 234. For example, as depicted the user may set a “1” for shape,a “2” for carat weight, a “3” for color, a “4” for cut, and a “5” forclarity. The selectable ranking options 232 indicate to the diamondselection system that the user prefers diamonds matching the selectedshape option first, followed by diamonds matching the selected caratweight, followed by color, followed by cut, and followed by clarity.

Accordingly, when the search is submitted to the diamond selectionsystem, search results may be populated in accordance with the selecteddiamond features or selectable options. In some embodiments, the searchresults may also be determined based on the diamond feature ranking 230.For example, diamonds matching all search parameters may be first in thesearch results. The search results may then include diamonds matchingthe first four categories, but which are similar but not an exact matchfor the fifth ranked category (e.g., clarity). The search results maythen include diamonds matching the first three categories, but which aresimilar but not an exact match for the fourth or fifth ranked categories(e.g., cut or clarity). The ranking of search results may continue in asimilar manner.

In some implementations, the search results may include all diamondsthat match the user's selected diamond features or selectable options.The list of matching diamonds may be further filtered or grouped usingthe diamond feature ranking 230 to include a subset of the searchresults that are more closely matched to those search categories thatwere ranked by the user as higher or highest. In some cases, the subsetof search results is then ordered according to those that most closelymatch highly ranked diamond features or search parameters. Furthermore,the user may modify or update the relative rank of two or more searchcategories or diamond features, which may be used to determine amodified or updated subset of listings and/or a modified or updatedorder.

While the above examples have been given with respect to particularexamples, other examples are included in the present disclosure. Forexample, in some embodiments a user may be required to select at leastone option in each search category/diamond feature and to rank thecategories before submitting a search. In some embodiments, the userneed only select at least one option in a subset of the searchcategories before submitting a search. The ranking may further beoptional, or the method of ranking the search results may vary. Whilethe search categories have been depicted with selectable options, inother embodiments the user may input options through an adjustable range(e.g., a graphical slide selector).

In some embodiments, the user interface 216 may include an option tosave 235 search parameters. Search parameters may be saved to a userprofile, temporarily saved within a session, or otherwise stored forlater retrieval. The saved search parameters may be stored and recalledduring a subsequent session or later on during the same session. Theoption to save 235 may be presented in the portion of the user interfacedepicted in FIG. 2 , or in other portions of the user interface such asthose depicted below with respect to FIGS. 3-11 . Accordingly, a usermay use the save 235 option to save search parameters, search results,or later modified search parameters and/or results. In some instances,the save 235 option may store the search parameters, the search results,and/or other session related activities or settings.

The user interface 216 may further include an option to conduct a newsearch 237. Selecting the new search 237 may clear some or all of thesearch parameters entered or selected by the user. In some cases, thenew search 237 clears all prior search data associated with the user.Alternatively, the new search 237 may clear only the most recentlyentered search parameters (e.g., the criteria entered using theinterface of FIG. 2 ) and maintain or preserve other user settings orpreferences. In some embodiments, search parameters and/or results maypersist after an initial search, and the new search option 237 may allowa user to conduct a search without the persistent parameters and/orresults. The new search option 237 may be presented in the portion ofthe user interface depicted in FIG. 2 , or in other portions of the userinterface such as those depicted below with respect to FIGS. 2-11 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the user may be presented with an option to selectadditional filters 236. FIG. 3 depicts an additional filter interface338, which may be presented to a user that selects the additionalfilters option of FIG. 2 . As depicted in FIG. 3 , an example additionalfilter interface generated by the diamond selection system on thedisplay 318 of a user computing device 308 is shown displaying one ormore interactive portions for use by a user.

The additional filter interface 338 may include a title 340 of theadditional filter interface 338 and/or other information, such asinstructions on the additional filters 342. Another portion of theadditional filter interface 338 may include additional search filters342. Each additional search filter 342 may correspond to furthergemological features or other features associated with diamond listings.The additional search filters may include the symmetry rating of adiamond, the polish rating, the table percentage, the depth percentage,the ratio, the fluorescence, the price range, and the certificationauthority. In some embodiments, additional or fewer search filters 342may be included in the additional filter interface 338.

Each search filter 342 includes text identifying the search filter 342and selectable options 344 and/or an adjustable range 346 (e.g., agraphical slide selector). In some embodiments, some or all of thesearch filters 342 may further include additional images and/or text torepresent and/or further explain the search filter 342. A user mayselect options 344 and/or adjust a range (e.g., move a graphical slideselector) 346 for some or all additional search filters 342 and applythose in addition to the search parameters as depicted in FIG. 2 .

Similar to the search parameters depicted in FIG. 2 , once the search issubmitted, the diamond selection system then searches for diamondlistings in accordance with the selected option(s) 344 and/or range(s)346 of the additional search filters 342. In some embodiments, thediamond selection system may search only for items which match theselected options 344 or ranges 346. However, because many of the options344 and ranges 346 represent scaled values or grades, it may beunderstood (or the user may input as a further option) that similarfeatures associated with a given search filter 342 would be acceptableas well. Accordingly, the diamond selection system may also includesimilar features to the selected options and/or ranges 346.

Turning to FIG. 4A, a search results list 448 is depicted. The searchresults list 448 may be generated in response to the submission ofsearch parameters (such as depicted in FIG. 2 ), the ranking orpreferences (such as depicted in FIG. 2 ), and/or additional searchfilters (such as depicted in FIG. 3 ). As depicted in FIG. 4A, a searchresults list 448 is generated by the diamond selection system on thedisplay 418 of a user computing device 408. The search results list 448includes text 450 and a graphical representation of diamond listings 452generated in response to user search parameters.

In some cases, the list 448 is a subset of all of the diamond listingsthat match the user's search parameters. For example, the matchingdiamond listings that are retrieved from the database that match theuser's criteria may be further curated using the user's preferences orranking of the various search categories. In particular, those diamondlistings that are more closely matched to search categories that theuser indicated as having a higher rank or preference may be selectedover diamond listings that are less closely matched to higher rankedsearch categories. Furthermore, in some implementations, the list 448may be ordered in accordance with the rank or preference of the varioussearch categories with diamond listings having the closest match for thehighest ranked search category earlier or higher in the presentationorder or list order. Additional search results may be presented inresponse to user selection of a “Next” option 453.

The text 450 in the search results list 448 may include a title, and mayinclude additional information relevant to the search (e.g., number ofsearch results). Each diamond listing 452 may include an image 454(e.g., an image of the diamond associated with the listing 452) andadditional information related to the diamond listing 452. The diamondlistings 452 may be arrayed on the search results list 448 in anappropriate manner, for example in one or more rows and/or columns.

The additional information included with each diamond listing 452 mayinclude a price 456 (which may be expressed in an appropriatedenomination, such as U.S. dollars, euros, pounds sterling, and so on)and/or gemological features 458 of the diamond. The gemological features458 may include any relevant features, such as carat weight, cut, color,and clarity.

In some embodiments, a diamond listing 452 may also be interactive witha user. For example, the diamond listing 452 may include an option toadd a diamond to a favorites list 462. Selecting the favorites listoption 462 may associate the diamond listing 452 with a list of diamondlistings 452 for later review and interaction. The diamond listing 452may further include a graphical indication that it has been added to thefavorites list 462 (e.g., by filling in the heart representing thefavorite list). The user may further interact with the diamond listing452 by selecting the listing 452, such as through a checkbox 460.Selecting the checkbox 460 may allow further interactions, such asadding the diamond listing 452 to a shopping cart, comparing multiplediamond listings 452, removing the diamond listing 452 from the resultslist, and so on.

In some implementations, the user may select further search results forviewing. As shown in FIG. 4A, the user may select an option 453 (e.g.,“Next”), which may prompt the system to depict further search results.FIG. 4B depicts an example of further or additional search results thatmay be presented in response to a user selection. In particular, theadditional results of FIG. 4B may be presented in response to userselection of a “Next” option 453. In some implementations, selecting the“Next” option 453 may present to a user an additional list 448 a ofsearch results, which may be the next most relevant set of resultsmatching the user's search parameters. The additional list 448 a may bea subset of all of the additional diamond listings that match the user'ssearch parameters, and the “Next” option 453 may remain available fordisplaying further search results. The user may continue to view andbrowse additional search results by continuing to select thecorresponding “Next” options.

As shown in FIG. 4B, curated diamond listings 452 a appearing in theadditional list 448 a may be similar to the diamond listings 452 of FIG.4A. The list 448 and additional list 448 a may be curated or developedusing the user's preferences and/or the user's ranking of the varioussearch categories. In one example, a user may rank diamond shape lowerthan some or all other search parameters. In the example depicted inFIGS. 4A and 4B, the first five curated diamond listings 452 in the list448 (depicted in FIG. 4A) may be most closely matched to the user's morehighly ranked search parameters. As the user explores deeper into thesearch results (e.g., by selecting the “Next” option 453) the searchresults may remain closely matched to the more highly ranked searchparameters but diverge from the lower ranked criteria. In particular, alower ranked preference for diamond shape may result in a set of diamondlistings 452 a that allow some variability in diamond shape while stillclosely matching the other more highly ranked search parameters.

In some embodiments, selecting a diamond listing 452 (e.g., by selectingthe checkbox 460 or by selecting the diamond listing 452 itself) maygenerate further details of the diamond listing 452, as depicted in FIG.5 . FIG. 5 depicts a detailed diamond listing 552. The detailed diamondlisting 552 may be displayed as a sole page, or it may be overlaid onanother interface, such as the results list depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The detailed diamond listing 552 of FIG. 5 includes an image 554, whichmay be an image of the diamond represented by the diamond listing 552.In some embodiments, the detailed diamond listing 552 may includemultiple images of the associated diamond and/or an interactive orthree-dimensional image of the diamond. The detailed diamond listing 552further includes a price 556 and text 564 associated with the diamond(e.g., a description of the diamond and/or additional details related tothe diamond).

The detailed diamond listing 552 includes additional information 558 onthe associated diamond. The additional information 558 may be listedunder various categories. Examples of the additional information 558categories include an item identification (SKU), shape, cut, color,clarity, carat weight, price per carat, length/width ratio, tablepercentage, depth percentage, polish, symmetry, fluorescence, culet, andmeasurements. In some embodiments, additional or less information may beincluded in the detailed diamond listing 552.

In some embodiments, a detailed diamond listing 552 may also beinteractive with a user. For example, the detailed diamond listing 552may include an option to add a diamond to a favorites list 562.Selecting the favorites list option 562 may associate the detaileddiamond listing 552 with a list of diamond listings for later review andinteraction. The detailed diamond listing 552 may further include agraphical indication that it has been added to the favorites list 562(e.g., by filling in the heart representing the favorite list). The usermay further interact with the detailed diamond listing 552 by adding thediamond listing 552 to a shopping cart 566. Other interactive featuresmay be included in the detailed diamond listing 552 as appropriate.

For example, the detailed diamond listing 552 may include a “More LikeThis” option 567, in order to retrieve additional diamond listingssimilar to the detailed diamond listing 552. In some embodiments, thesimilar diamond listings may be selected from among the existing searchresults depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B. In other embodiments, a new searchmay be performed to select similar diamond listings from the database ofthe diamond search system. In still other embodiments, the detaileddiamond listing 552 may be cross-referenced with other listings throughdata tags, an index, or similar data structure and a search of thesecross-references may be conducted.

Turning to FIG. 6A, once a user has selected the “More Like This” option567, a new list 648 of diamond listings is generated. The new list 648may be arranged in accordance with a ranking previously set by a user(e.g., at FIG. 2 ), or the user may set a new ranking (e.g., through anadditional dialog box) and the new list 648 may be arranged accordingly.Similar to the ranking described with respect to FIGS. 2, 4A, and 4B,the diamond features may be ranked from highest to lowest.

In retrieving and arranging diamond listings 652 which are “More LikeThis,” the diamond search system may retrieve diamond listings whichmatch at least some of the features of the diamond listing of FIG. 5 . Asearch range may be set for each diamond feature according to theselected ranking; the highest ranked diamond feature may have a small orno range, and the range to be searched may increase with each lowerranked feature. For example, if color is ranked first and weight isranked second, all search results may be required to match the color ofthe diamond listing of FIG. 5 , while the search results may includediamonds within 0.05 carats of the same diamond listing. The searchresults may include a broader range of values for each lower rankeddiamond feature.

After the search results have been retrieved, they may be arrangedaccording to the selected ranking in a new list 648 and displayed to theuser. The new list 648 may be displayed in a similar manner as depictedabove with respect to FIGS. 4A and 4B. For example, the new list 648includes text 650 relevant to the search results and graphicalrepresentations of diamond listing 652. Additional search results may bepresented in response to user selection of a “Next” option 653.

In some implementations, the search results may be used to provideadditional details to the user using an overlay or pop-up windowdisplay. FIGS. 6B-6D depict example overlay information display windows.While the following examples are provided with respect to the examplesearch result list 648 a, the same or similar windows may be implementedusing any one of the other search result lists or diamond listings (suchas depicted above with respect to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 6A) may further beinteractive with a user. In some implementations, a user may interactwith different portions of the diamond listing to initiate an overlaywindow. For example, a user may tap, hover over, or otherwise select adiamond listing 652 or a portion of the diamond listing 652 and bepresented with an overlay window 657 a, 657 b, 657 c with additionalinformation regarding the diamond. While the following examples depictthe overlay windows as occupying a portion of the viewable area, inother implementations, the overlay windows may occupy the entire orsubstantially all of the viewable area. This may also be referred to asa full-screen overlay window.

The overlay windows may be used to present primarily visual or graphicalinformation to the user. Such visual or graphical information mayprovide the user another tool to assess the quality or unique aspects ofa particular diamond without having to view the gemstone in a physicalstore or showroom. In one example, the overlay window 657 a, depicted inFIG. 6B, may provide a visual representation of the presence andlocation of any mapped inclusions 659 a, 659 b, 659 c in the diamond.Another overlay window 657 b depicted in FIG. 6C may present variousviews of the diamond, such as a top view 661 a and a bottom view 661 bthat have been rendered to visually demonstrate the symmetry or qualityof the diamond's cut. This may allow a user to visualize features of thediamond, such as hearts and arrows created by the cut of the diamond'sfacets. Other views may be presented to a user, such as a 3-dimensionalview as depicted in the overlay window 657 c of FIG. 6D. In someimplementations, the user may spin or rotate the 3-dimensional view ofthe diamond to get a sense for the way light reflects off and throughthe gemstone.

In some embodiments, the different overlay windows 657 a, 657 b, 657 cmay be presented upon selecting different portions of a diamond listing652. For example, the inclusion overlay window 657 a may be displayed inresponse to the user hovering over or selecting the diamond clarityportion of the diamond listing 652. In other embodiments selecting thediamond listing 652 may present each overlay window 657 a, 657 b, 657 cin a predetermined succession or presentation. The user may also controlthe display of the various overlay windows using one or more controlsprovided by the user interface.

Turning to FIG. 7 , in some embodiments a user may refine a search byselecting an additional ranking. FIG. 7 depicts a ranking menu 709 forranking search results after an initial query (as depicted in FIGS. 4Aand 4B) or another search (as depicted in FIG. 6A). The menu 709 may bea separate interface, or it may be presented adjacent the search resultson a same interface. One portion of the ranking menu 709 includes atitle 720 of the diamond selection system and/or other information, suchas instructions on interacting with the ranking feature. The rankingmenu 709 may further include additional information 721, such as thenumber of results if the additional ranking is applied. Another portionof the ranking menu 709 includes diamond ranking options 732 a-732 e inwhich the user may select an ordered list of diamond features 734.

In some embodiments, this additional ranking may be applied to theexisting search, such that the number of results is further refinedand/or reordered. For example, re-ranking diamond features 734 higherthan the initial search may filter those features 734 more tightly(e.g., through a narrower range), excluding diamond listings which werepreviously included. In other embodiments, the additional ranking mayreplace the initial ranking.

The ranking menu 709 may further include an option to reset the search737, which may return the user to the user interface depicted in FIG. 2. In some examples, the reset search option 737 may instead reset theadditional ranking, returning the results to the initial search results.

FIG. 8 depicts another example search results list generated in responseto the submission of search parameters (such as depicted in FIG. 2 )and/or additional search filters (such as depicted in FIG. 3 ). Asdepicted in FIG. 8 , a search results list 848 is generated by thediamond selection system on the display 818 of a user computing device808. The search results list 848 includes diamond listings 852 generatedin response to user search parameters and arranged in rows, havingcolumns of details related to each diamond listing 852.

The columns of information associated with the diamond listings 852include gemological features 858. The columns may also includeinteractive columns 860, 862. The gemological features 858 associatedwith the diamond listings 852 may include the shape, cut, color,clarity, carat weight, and price. In some embodiments additional orfewer columns may be included in the search results list 848.

The interactive columns 860, 862 may include an option to add a diamondto a favorites list (e.g., diamond listings 852). Selecting a favoriteslist option may associate the diamond listing 852 with a list of diamondlistings 852 for later review and interaction. The diamond listing 852may further include a graphical indication that it has been added to thefavorites list 862 a (e.g., by filling in the heart representing thefavorite list). Another interactive column 860 may allow a user toselect one or more diamond listings 852. Selecting a checkbox 860 a mayallow further interactions, such as adding the listing 852 to a shoppingcart, comparing multiple listings 852, removing the listing 852 from theresults list, and so on.

In some embodiments, selecting the checkbox 860 a may generate adetailed diamond listing 852 a. The detailed diamond listing 852 a maybe displayed adjacent the search results list 848. In some embodiments,the detailed diamond listing 852 a may be displayed as a sole page, orit may be overlaid on the search results list 848.

The detailed diamond listing 852 a includes an image 854, which may bean image of the diamond represented by the detailed diamond listing 852a. In some embodiments, the detailed diamond listing 852 a may includemultiple images of the associated diamond and/or an interactive orthree-dimensional image of the diamond. The detailed diamond listing 852a further includes a price 856 and text 864 associated with the diamond(e.g., a description of the diamond and/or additional details related tothe diamond).

The detailed diamond listing 852 a includes additional information 858 aon the associated diamond. The additional information 858 a may belisted under various categories. Examples of the additional information858 a categories include an item identification (SKU), shape, cut,color, clarity, carat weight, price per carat, length/width ratio, tablepercentage, depth percentage, polish, symmetry, fluorescence, culet, andmeasurements. In some embodiments, additional or less information may beincluded in the detailed diamond listing 852 a.

In some embodiments, a detailed diamond listing 852 a may also beinteractive with a user. For example, the detailed diamond listing 852 amay include an option to add a diamond to a favorites list 862 a and/ora graphical indication that it has been added to the favorites list 862.The user may further interact with the detailed diamond listing 852 a byadding the diamond listing 852 to a shopping cart 866. Other interactivefeatures may be included in the detailed diamond listing 852 a, such asan option to communicate with a representative 870.

FIG. 9 depicts an example comparison of multiple diamond listings. Asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 8 , multiple diamondlistings 952 a, 952 b, 952 c may be selected for comparison. After thediamond listings 952 a, 952 b, 952 c have been selected, the userinterface may present detailed diamond listings 952 a, 952 b, 952 cadjacent each other for comparison. The detailed diamond listings 952 a,952 b, 952 c may be similar to the detailed diamond listings describedabove with respect to FIGS. 5 and 8 .

FIG. 10 depicts an example price comparison with third party diamondlistings. In some embodiments, the user may select a diamond listing1052 a for a price comparison with diamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052d available through one or more third party systems. The diamond listing1052 a may be selected for third-party price comparison from any searchresults lists or detailed diamond listings, such as described above withrespect to FIGS. 4A-9 .

After a diamond listing 1052 a has been selected for third-party pricecomparison, the diamond selection system may present one or more thirdparty diamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d to the user. In somecases, the diamond selection system may communicate with one or morethird party systems (e.g., systems of diamond vendors) to search fordiamond listings to be included in the database of the diamond selectionsystem. Thus the diamond selection system may present third partydiamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d for comparison from itsdatabase.

In other cases, the diamond selection system may search for third partydiamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d when a request for comparisonhas been made. Third party diamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d maybe made available to the diamond selection system, or the diamondselection system may extract information from third party systems togenerate third party diamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d.

Third party diamond listings 1052 b, 1052 c, 1052 d may be searched forbased on having the same or similar gemological features as the selecteddiamond listing 1052 a. Once the third party diamond listings 1052 b,1052 c, 1052 d have been selected, they may be presented to the userthrough a user interface alongside the selected diamond listing 1052 a.The user interface includes text 1050 and a graphical representation ofthe diamond listings 1052 a-1052 d.

The text 1050 may include a title relevant to the presentation of aprice comparison, and may include additional information relevant to thecomparison (e.g., number of search results). Each diamond listing 1052a-1052 d may include an image 1054 (e.g., an image of the diamondassociated with the listing) and additional information related to thediamond listings 1052 a-1052 d. The diamond listings 1052 a-1052 d maybe arrayed on the search results list in an appropriate manner, forexample in one or more rows and/or columns.

The additional information included with each diamond listing 1052a-1052 d may include a price 1056 and/or gemological features 1058 ofthe diamond. The gemological features 1058 may include any relevantfeatures, such as carat weight, cut, color, and clarity. Each diamondlisting 1052 a-1052 d may also include information 1072 regarding thesource of the diamond listing 1052 a-1052 d (e.g., the name of thevendor). Further options may be presented to the user as well, such asan interactive option to request a price match 1074 from the diamondselection system.

The examples provided above with respect to FIGS. 2-10 are generallydirected to a system and techniques for curating a set of diamondlistings or candidate diamonds from a very large set of potentialcandidates. As described above, a user can use the system describedabove to generate a small list of potential diamonds and, ultimately,select a single diamond that best satisfies their preferences or meetstheir particular criteria.

However, in some instances, the selected diamond may not fit the user'sbudget or may otherwise not be cost appropriate. FIGS. 11 and 12 ,discussed below, describe an example user interface for starting with aselected diamond and varying one or more characteristics in order togenerate a new estimated price range or list of potential diamondlistings or candidates. The user interface of FIGS. 11 and 12 may beparticularly useful for visualizing the effect on price if a user hasmore flexibility with a diamond characteristic. For example, if a userdoes not have a strong preference for the quality of a diamond cut, theuser may select a lower or reduced quality option through the userinterface and generate a new estimated price range. The user may alsoview a new set of diamond listings that satisfies the modified oradapted criteria that deviates from the initial diamond selection asspecified by the user.

FIG. 11 depicts an example user interface for searching for additionaldiamonds having features similar to an initially selected diamond ordiamond listing. The user interface 1176 may be generated or displayedon a portal 1106 operating on a computing device 1108 (e.g., a personalcomputing system). In some embodiments, the portal 1106 may be a remoteportal operating the user interface 1176, which may access a diamondselection system or diamond search interface, such as described in FIG.1 above.

In the present example, the portal 1106 includes a user interface 1176on a display 1118 of a computing device 1108, such as a tablet orsmartphone (or other computing devices, such as a desktop computingsystem, a notebook computing system, a terminal, an electronic kiosk,and so on). In the present example, the user interface 1176 may includeone or more portions that allow for interaction with the portal 1106,the diamond selection system, a third party system, and/or the servicesprovided by the American Gem Society (AGS).

The user interface 1176 depicted in FIG. 11 may be generated in responseto a selection of an initial diamond listing 1178. It is not necessarythat the initial diamond listing 1178 be selected from the userinterface 1176. In fact, the initial diamond listing 1178 is typicallyselected as a result of a previous search, such as described above withrespect to FIGS. 2-10 , by entry into the system of a diamond listingidentifier, or by another method. For example, a detailed diamondlisting such as described with respect to FIG. 5 may include an optionto find similar diamond listings. Once a specific diamond is selected,the user interface 1176 depicted in FIG. 11 may be used to search foradditional diamonds having features similar to the specific diamond thathas been selected (represented by, for example, the initial diamondlisting 1178).

Once a diamond corresponding to the initial diamond listing 1178 isselected, the user interface 1176 may be generated. As shown in FIG. 11, one portion of the user interface 1176 includes a title 1180 of thediamond search feature and/or other information, such as instructions oninteracting with the diamond search feature. The user interface 1176 mayinclude the initial diamond listing 1178, which may include an image1182 (e.g., an image of the diamond associated with the initial diamondlisting 1178) and additional information related to the initial diamondlisting 1178.

The additional information included with the initial diamond listing1178 may include a price 1184 (which may be expressed in an appropriatedenomination, such as U.S. dollars, euros, pounds sterling, and so on)and/or gemological features 1186 of the diamond. The gemologicalfeatures 1186 may include any relevant features, such as shape, caratweight, cut, color, clarity, and fluorescence.

Another portion of the user interface 1176 includes searchable diamondfeatures or search categories 1188 a-1188 f. In the present embodiment,the search categories 1188 a-1188 f are represented by a correspondingselectable graphical representation or thumbnail. Each diamond featureor search category 1188 a-1188 f includes selectable search options 1190a-1190 f that correspond to the diamond feature (e.g., shape 1190 a, cut1190 b, color 1190 c, clarity 1190 d, fluorescence 1190 e, and caratweight 1190 f). In some embodiments, the diamond feature represented bythe search category 1188 a-1188 f is graded along a scale (e.g., set ofvalues). The scale may be continuous, graduated, or may correspond to aseries of grades or values associated with the particular diamondfeature or search category.

In some embodiments, when the user interface 1176 is first generated,indicia 1192 a-1192 f of one of the selectable options may be includedfor at least some of the diamond features or search categories 1188a-1188 f. Each indicia 1192 a-1192 f represents a value (or range ofvalues) which corresponds to a feature of the initial diamond listing1178. For example, the initial diamond listing 1178 may have a roundshape, which may be represented by an indicium 1192 a (e.g., a graphicor textual representation) of “round” under the search category 1188 aof shape.

Similarly, the value “very good” may be represented by an indicium 1192b under the cut search category 1188 b and the value “D” may berepresented by an indicium 1192 c under the color search category 1188c. The value “FL” may be represented by an indicium 1192 d under theclarity search category 1188 d, the value “faint” may be represented byan indicium 1192 e under the fluorescence search category 1188 e, andthe range of values “0.9-1.1” may be represented by an indicium 1192 funder the carat weight search category 1188 f.

Accordingly, the indicia 1192 a-1192 f under each diamond feature orsearch category 1188 a-1188 f may represent values for the features ofthe initial diamond listing 1178. In some embodiments, the indicia 1192a-1192 f may appear as enlarged selectable options 1190 a-1190 f, suchas depicted in FIG. 11 . In other embodiments, the indicia 1192 a-1192 fmay be visually represented in a different manner, such as highlightedselectable options 1190 a-1190 f, arrows adjacent selectable options1190 a-1190 f, and so on.

In some embodiments, when the user interface 1176 is first generated, anestimated price range 1194 may be provided, which may correspond todiamond listings having features which match or nearly match thefeatures of the initial diamond listing 1178. For example, initiatingthe search feature illustrated in FIG. 11 (e.g., through selection of aninitial diamond listing 1178) may cause the portal 1106 to request asearch of a database of diamond listings for a set of diamond listingsmatching or nearly matching the features of the initial diamond listing1178. The results of the search may provide a range of prices fordiamonds having matching or nearly matching features, which may bedisplayed as the estimated price range 1194.

A user may desire to search for additional diamond listings and/or anupdated price range 1194 having one or more diamond features which aremodified from the initial diamond listing 1178. For example, a user mayexplore changes in the price range 1194 which result from increasing ordecreasing the grade of a diamond feature, represented by a searchcategory 1188 a-1188 f.

Thus the user interface 1176 may generate a price range 1194, additionaldiamond listings, and additional information for diamond listings havingfeatures similar to the initially selected diamond listing 1178. Theuser may modify the values (or range of values) of diamond featuresbeing searched by selecting one or more of the selectable search options1190 a-1190 f which is different from the indicia 1192 a-1192 fcorresponding with the initial diamond listing 1178. For example, theuser may modify the set of values from those corresponding to theinitial diamond listing 1178 by selecting a different search option 1190b for the diamond cut category 1188 b. Values for other searchcategories may additionally or alternatively be modified, such as theshape 1188 a, color 1188 c, clarity 1188 d, fluorescence 1188 e, orweight (in carats) 1188 f. In some embodiments, additional or fewerdiamond features may be included in the user interface 1176.

In an example, a user may wish to obtain a price range 1194 and/orobtain additional diamond listings which have an emerald shape, butwhich otherwise have similar features to the initial diamond listing1178. To do so the user may select search option 1190 a corresponding tothe emerald shape (e.g., by touching a corresponding region of atouch-sensitive display). In some embodiments, the user may select oneoption 1190 a for shape, while in other embodiments the user may selectmultiple options 1190 a for shape.

Once the shape search option 1190 a has been modified from the valuecorresponding to the initial diamond listing 1178 (e.g., the valuerepresented by the indicium 1192 a), an estimated price range 1194 maybe generated. In some embodiments, a previous price range 1194corresponding to the initial diamond listing 1178 may be updated, or anew price range 1194 may be generated (e.g., where an initial pricerange 1194 was not generated). For example, after the shape searchoption 1190 a or diamond feature value has been modified, the portal1106 may request a search of a database of diamond listings. The resultsof the search may provide a range of prices for diamonds having matchingor nearly matching features to the modified set of values or searchoptions 1190 a-1190 f, which may be displayed as the estimated pricerange 1194. Additionally or alternatively, the user may select thebutton 1195 “Show Modified Results,” which may update the price range1194 and/or generate a new set of diamond listings, as shown in FIG. 12.

In another example, a user may wish to obtain a price range 1194 and/orobtain additional diamond listings which have a higher or lower qualitycut. As shown in FIG. 11 , the initial diamond listing 1178 has adiamond cut quality of “Very Good.” The user may want to increase thecut quality to one of the selectable options 1190 b (e.g., “Good,”“Excellent,” or “Super Ideal”). Selecting one of the selectable options1190 b may automatically generate a new or updated estimated price range1194. Alternatively, the user may select the button 1195 “Show ModifiedResults,” which may update the price range 1194 and/or generate a newset of diamond listings, as shown in FIG. 12 .

In other examples, the user may modify the values associated withdifferent diamond features or search categories 1188 b-1188 f. Some ofthese values, such as cut, may be graded on a scale. A search based onthe modified values or options 1190 a-1190 f selected through the userinterface 1176 may include only items which match the selected modifiedvalues or options 1190 a-1190 f. However, because the diamond feature isgraded on a scale, it may be understood (or the user may input as afurther option) that similar values along the grade would be acceptableas well. Accordingly, the diamond selection system may also includesimilar grades of diamonds in the results list. For example, a user maymodify the cut option 1190 b from “Very Good” to “Excellent,” and thediamond selection system may include very good and/or ideal cut diamondsas well in the search results.

In some embodiments, the user interface 1176 may also include one ormore buttons 1195, 1196, 1197 to perform additional operations. Forexample, a “Show Modified Results” button 1195 may cause the userinterface 1176 to display a set of diamond listings matching or nearlymatching the modified search parameters (e.g., the values associatedwith the initial diamond listing 1178 and any modified values). This maygenerate search results to be displayed in a list or set of diamondlistings, as shown in FIG. 12 or in a manner similar to the examplesdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 4A-6 and 8-10 . Similar to theexamples described with respect to FIGS. 2-10 , a user may also be ableto rank diamond features in an order to indicate a preferred order ofsearch results, whether before requesting the set of listings, once theset of listings has been displayed, or both.

In some embodiments, the user interface 1176 may also include an optionto save 1196 search parameters. Search parameters may be saved to a userprofile, temporarily saved within a session, or otherwise stored forlater retrieval. The saved search parameters may be stored and recalledduring a subsequent session or later on during the same session.

The user interface 1176 may further include an option to clear thesearch 1197. Selecting the clear search button 1197 may clear some orall of the search parameters entered or selected by the user. In somecases, the clear search button 1197 returns each search category 1188a-1188 f to the values corresponding to the initial diamond listing 1178(e.g., the values represented by the indicia 1192 a-1192 f). In someembodiments, the clear search button 1197 may clear all prior searchdata associated with the user and/or return to another search function(e.g., the user interface depicted in FIG. 2 ).

FIG. 12 depicts an example search result that may be generated using theuser interface 1176 of FIG. 11 . As shown in FIG. 12 , a user interface1200 may be presented that includes a set of diamond listings thatsatisfies the modified criteria generated using the user interface 1176of FIG. 11 . In particular, the set of diamond listings hascharacteristics 1202 that match or correlate to the modifiedcharacteristics generated using the user interface 1176 of FIG. 11 . Asshown in FIG. 12 , the set of diamond listings includes the modified cutoption 1204 (which may have been changed from “Very Good” (or “VG”) to“Ideal” (or “ID”). Also, as shown in FIG. 12 , the prices 1206correspond to or correlate with the updated price range 1194 of FIG. 11.

Similar to the other examples described above with respect to FIGS. 4A-6and 8-10 , the user can select one or more of the diamond listings toobtain more information, to find diamonds like the selected diamond, orperform other functions described above. Additionally, the user mayselect one of the diamond listings and then return to the user interface1176 of FIG. 11 to then further manipulate the preferred criteria orcharacteristics of the desired diamond, and initiating another searchsimilar to as described above with respect to FIG. 11 .

FIGS. 13A-13B depict an example user interface generated on a portal(e.g., a remote portal). Similar to the user interface described abovewith respect to FIG. 2 , the user interface may be used to implement thediamond selection system and/or diamond search interface. In particular,a user may access the diamond selection system or diamond searchinterface using the portal, operating on a computing device 1308 similarto the computing devices discussed herein. In the implementation shownin FIGS. 13A-B, the portal to the diamond selection system or diamondsearch interface may be an application running on a mobile device and/ormay be accessed displayed using a web browser or other similarInternet-enabled application. The portal may be used to access a websiteor may operate through another application executed on the computingdevice.

In the present example, the portal includes a user interface 1316 on adisplay 1318 of the computing device 1308. In the following example, thecomputing device 1308 is a portable electronic device, such as a tabletor smartphone. This is provided as merely an illustrative example. Inother embodiments, the computing device 1308 may include, withoutlimitation, a desktop computing system, a notebook computing system, aterminal, an electronic kiosk, or other computing device configured tooperate a portal. In the present example, the user interface 1316 mayinclude one or more portions that allow for interaction with the portal,the diamond selection system, a third party system, and/or the servicesprovided by the American Gem Society (AGS).

As shown in FIG. 13A, one portion of the user interface 1316 includes atitle 1320 of the diamond selection system and/or other information,such as instructions on interacting with the diamond selection system.

In some embodiments, another portion of the user interface 1316 includesselectable items that may be used to specify search parameters for asearch of the diamond selection system. The diamond selection system mayreceive search parameters, for example through the user interface 1316.In some embodiments, the search parameters include a price and/or one ormore search categories. A portion of the user interface 1316 includes aprice range 1321 that may include a slider 1323 that allows a user toselect a price range for the search. Another portion of the userinterface 1316 includes searchable diamond features or search categories1322 a-1322 e. In the present embodiment, the search categories 1322a-1322 e are represented by one or more corresponding selectablegraphical elements. Each diamond feature or search category 1322 a-1322e includes selectable search options 1324 a-1324 e, that correspond to adiamond feature graded along a scale (e.g., set of values). The scalemay be continuous, graduated, or may correspond to a series of grades orvalues associated with the particular diamond feature or searchcategory. The user may enter the search parameters by selecting one ormore of the selectable search options 1324 a-1324 e. The searchablediamond features or search categories 1322 a-1322 e may include thediamond shape 1322 a, weight (in carats) 1322 b, cut 1322 c, color 1322d, and clarity 1322 e. In some embodiments, additional or fewer diamondfeatures may be included in the user interface 1316.

With respect to the searchable diamond feature or search categories 1322a-1322 e, a first diamond feature or search category may be the shape ofthe diamond 1322 a, similar to the shape 222 a discussed above. The userinterface 1316 includes the shape of the diamond 1322 a as an inputcategory. The selectable search options 1324 a may include an image 1326a representing the shape and/or text 1328 a. The image 1326 a includedin the shape category 1322 a may be an image representative of theshape. The text 1328 a included in the shape category 1322 a may be textrelevant to the shape category, such as text describing shapes and/or aselected shape.

The user may select one or more shapes from the selectable text and/orimages by interacting with the corresponding text and/or image. Forexample, a user that wishes to search for round shaped diamonds mayselect (e.g., by touching a corresponding region of a touch-sensitivedisplay) the text and/or image corresponding to the round shape. In someembodiments, the user may select one option for shape, while in otherembodiments the user may select multiple options for shape.

Turning to FIG. 13B, a second diamond feature or search category may bethe weight 1322 b of the diamond, similar to the weight 222 e discussedabove. The user interface 1316 includes the weight of the diamond 1322 bas an input category. The selectable search options 1324 b may include aslider that allows a user to select a range of weights. The userinterface 1316 may further include text 1328 b that indicates the rangeof weights selected. In some embodiments, the user may select one optionfor weight, while in other embodiments the user may select multipleoptions and/or a range of options for weight.

A third diamond feature or search category may be the cut of the diamond1322 c, similar to the cut 222 b discussed above. The user interface1316 includes the quality of the cut 1322 c as a category or field to besearched. The selectable search options 1324 c may include a slider thatallows a user to select a range of cut qualities. The user interface1316 may further include text 1328 c that indicates the cut qualities orrange of cut qualities selected. In some embodiments, the user mayselect one option for cut, while in other embodiments the user mayselect multiple options and/or a range of options for cut.

A fourth diamond feature or search category may be the color of thediamond 1322 d, similar to the color 222 c discussed above. The userinterface 1316 includes the color 1322 d as a category or field to besearched. The selectable search options 1324 d may include a slider thatallows a user to select a range of colors. The user interface 1316 mayfurther include text 1328 d that indicates the colors or range of colorsselected. In some embodiments, the user may select one option for color,while in other embodiments the user may select multiple options and/or arange of options for color.

A fifth diamond feature or search category may be the clarity of thediamond 1322 e similar to the clarity 222 d discussed above. The userinterface 1316 includes the clarity 1322 e as a category or field to besearched. The selectable search options 1324 e may include a slider thatallows a user to select a range of clarity ratings. The user interface1316 may further include text 1328 e that indicates the clarity ratingsor range of clarity ratings selected. In some embodiments, the user mayselect one option for clarity, while in other embodiments the user mayselect multiple options and/or a range of options for clarity.

In some embodiments, the categories or fields to be searched and thesearch parameters (e.g., search values) themselves may be represented indifferent ways, including using images, sliders, text, other graphicalelements, or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the userinterface 1316 may further include information elements 1329 a-d. Inresponse to the information elements 1329 a-d being selected, the userinterface 1316 may display additional information about a category orfield, including images, descriptions, and the like.

Turning to FIG. 14 , another portion of the user interface may include adiamond feature ranking 1430. The diamond selection system may receive aranking (e.g., a relative ranking) of diamond features and/or price, forexample by receiving a user input at the feature ranking 1430. Thediamond feature ranking 1430 includes selectable options 1432 to rankthe search results according to preferred diamond features 1434. Theranking may be applied by the user at any time during the selectionprocess and may be updated or modified after receiving search results.

Some or all of the diamond features 1322 a-1422 e may be included aspreferred or ranked diamond features. The user may select a preferencefor one or more diamond features over others. For example, as depictedthe user may indicate that weight and clarity are more important thancut and color. The selectable ranking options 1432 indicate to thediamond selection system that the user prefers diamonds according to theselected diamond features. Accordingly, when the search is submitted tothe diamond selection system, search results may be populated inaccordance with the selected diamond features.

In some embodiments, search parameters and/or rankings are received froma user. In some embodiments, one or more search parameters and/orrankings may be pre-selected or pre-populated. For example, searchparameters or rankings may be received from the user and/or from a userprofile that has been saved. In some embodiments, the user interface mayinclude an option to save search parameters and/or rankings. Searchparameters and/or rankings may be saved to a user profile, temporarilysaved within a session, or otherwise stored for later retrieval. Thesaved search parameters and/or rankings may be stored and recalledduring a subsequent session or later on during the same session.Accordingly, a user may use the save option to save search parameters,rankings, search results, or later modified search parameters and/orresults. In some instances, the save option may store the searchparameters, the rankings, the search results, and/or other sessionrelated activities or settings.

As discussed above, the search parameters may be used to conduct asearch of the database to determine search results (e.g., a set oflistings to be provided via the portal). For example, the diamondselection system may retrieve a set of diamond listings according to thesearch parameters. In some cases, the set of listings consists of all ofthe diamond listings that match the search parameters. For example, theset of listings may consist of diamond listings that are retrieved fromthe database that match the search parameters. The set of listings maybe further curated based on the ranking of the various searchcategories. In some embodiments, the diamond selection system determinesa subset of diamond listings according to the search parameters and theranking. In particular, those diamond listings of the set of listingsthat are more closely matched to search categories that the userindicated as having a higher rank or preference may be selected overdiamond listings that are less closely matched to higher ranked searchcategories.

Furthermore, in some implementations, the search results may bepresented according to a presentation order, in which listings areordered in accordance with the rank or preference of the various searchcategories with diamond listings having the closest match for thehighest ranked search category earlier or higher in the presentationorder. In some embodiments, the diamond selection system determines apresentation order for the subset of diamond listings (or other searchresults) based on the search parameters and/or the ranking. In variousembodiments, as discussed below with respect to FIGS. 15A-15F, thesearch results are presented one at a time. In other embodiments,multiple search results are displayed simultaneously.

In various embodiments, the diamond selection system may receive and/ordetermine modified or updated search parameters, modified or updatedranking of diamond features, and/or modified or updated presentationorder. The modified search parameters, rankling, or presentation ordermay be used to determine a modified set of listings from the database, amodified or updated subset of listings and/or a modified or updatedpresentation order. For example, users may indicate preferences, providefeedback or other user inputs in response to one or more search resultsthat may be used to modify or update the search parameters, therankings, and/or the presentation order as discussed in more detailbelow. In various embodiments, in response to the search parameters, therelative rank of diamond features, and/or the presentation order beingmodified or updated, the diamond selection system determines an updatedset of diamond listings, an updated subset of diamond listings, and/oran updated presentation order. In response to the set and/or subset ofdiamond listings being modified or updated, the diamond selection systemmay update the presentation order.

In some embodiments, as discussed below with respect to FIGS. 15A-17 ,the diamond selection system may receive preferences (e.g., by userinput) regarding a diamond listing or a series of preferences regardingmultiple diamond listings. In some embodiments, the diamond selectionsystem updates search parameters and/or the ranking in response to thereceived preferences or series of preferences. In some embodiments, thediamond selection system retrieves a new set of diamond listings,determines a new subset of diamond listings and/or determines a newpresentation order in response to the received preferences or series ofpreferences.

Turning to FIGS. 15A-15F, a user interface 1515 for presenting diamondlistings and receiving user preferences is shown. In variousembodiments, the user interface 1515 presents diamond listings inresponse to a search, a ranking of preferences, and/or additionalparameters. As depicted in FIG. 15A, a diamond listing 1548 a isdisplayed by the diamond selection system on the display 1518 of a usercomputing device 1508. In various embodiments, one or more diamondlistings 1548 a may be displayed in the user interface 1515, for exampleaccording to the presentation order. For example, the diamond listing1548 a may be a first listing in a presentation order of a subset oflistings determined by the diamond selection system. In someembodiments, diamond listings 1548 a are displayed sequentially (e.g.,one after another). The diamond listing 1548 a may include diamondfeatures and/or information, including one or more of a price 1550, adiamond image 1551, a diamond descriptor 1552 (e.g., a shape), a diamondweight 1553, a color 1554, a cut 1555, and a clarity rating 1556.

The diamond listing 1548 a may further include elements for users toprovide user inputs regarding the diamond listing 1548 a. For example,the diamond selection system may receive one or more user inputsindicating a preference regarding the diamond listing 1548 a and/oradditional diamond listings. For example, the diamond listing 1548 a mayinclude preference indicators 1557, 1558 for the user to indicate apreference regarding the diamond listing 1548 a (e.g., that the userlikes or does not like the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a). Forexample, a user may select or otherwise interact with the favoriteindicator 1557 to indicate that the user likes the diamond in thediamond listing 1548 a (e.g., a positive preference). Similarly, a usermay select or otherwise interact with the discard indicator 1558 toindicate that the user does not like the diamond in the diamond listing1548 a (e.g., a negative preference).

In some embodiments, users may indicate a preference regarding thediamond listing 1548 a using gestures, such as taps, swipes, or otherinteractions. For example, the user computing device 1508 may include atouch-sensitive display, and a user may swipe or drag the diamondlisting 1548 a using the touch-sensitive display of the user computingdevice 1508 to indicate a preference regarding the diamond listing 1548a. The direction of the swipe that corresponds to each preference maycorrespond to the preference indicators 1557, 1558. For example, swipeto the left may indicate that a user does not like the diamond, and aswipe to the right may indicate that the user does like the diamond.Alternatively or additionally, different swipe directions and/orgestures may be used to indicate preferences.

In some embodiments, in response to a user indicating a preference, thediamond listing 1548 is no longer displayed and a new diamond listing isdisplayed in the user interface 1515. FIGS. 15B and 15C depicttransitions from the diamond listing 1548 a to another diamond listing1548 b. In the embodiments of FIGS. 15B and 15C, the diamond listing1548 a transitions off of the display (e.g., slides according to a swipeor in the direction of an indicator). For example, in FIG. 15B, a finger1560 swipes to the right while the diamond listing 1548 a is displayed,and the diamond listing 1548 a appears to slide off the display to theright, revealing a new diamond listing 1548 b. In some embodiments, thenew diamond listing 1548 b is the next diamond listing in a presentationorder determined by the diamond selection system. Similarly, in FIG.15C, a finger 1560 swipes to the left while the diamond listing 1548 ais displayed, and the diamond listing 1548 a appears to slide off thedisplay to the left, revealing a new diamond listing 1548 c.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system may update or modifythe search parameters, the ranking, and/or the presentation order inresponse to receiving preferences or series of preferences from theuser. In some embodiments, the diamond selection system retrieves a newset of diamond listings, determines a new subset of diamond listingsand/or determines a new presentation order in response to the receivedpreferences or series of preferences.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system receives a series ofpreferences that correspond to multiple diamond listings. For example,the diamond selection system may receive a series of preferences by auser swiping or otherwise interacting with multiple sequentially orsimultaneously presented diamond listings. In some embodiments, thediamond selection system determines whether the series of preferencesindicates that the search parameters, the ranking, and/or thepresentation order should be modified or updated.

In some embodiments, the diamond selection system determines one or moremodification metrics that correspond to one or more search parameters.In various embodiments, the modification metrics indicate whether one ormore search parameters, the ranking, and/or the presentation ordershould be updated. For example, the diamond selection system maydetermine whether a modification metric meets or exceeds a predeterminedthreshold, and in response to a modification metric meeting or exceedingthe threshold, the diamond selection system may modify or update searchparameters, the ranking, and/or the presentation order. Similarly, forexample, the diamond selection system may determine whether amodification metric meets or is lower than a predetermined threshold,and in response to a modification metric meeting or being lower than thethreshold, the diamond selection system may modify or update searchparameters, the ranking, and/or the presentation order.

As an example, a modification metric may correspond to a round diamondshape and have an example threshold of 9. In response to the userindicating a negative preference for a listing with a round diamond, themodification metric may be increased from zero to five. In response tothe user indicating a negative preference for an additional listing witha round diamond, the modification metric may be increased from five toten. In response to the modification metric exceeding the threshold of9, the diamond selection system may modify or update search parameters,the ranking, and/or the presentation order. For example, the diamondselection system may modify the search parameters to exclude listingswith round diamonds.

The above example is illustrative and not meant to be limiting. Invarious embodiments, the modification metric may be a weighted averageor other similar technique. For example, each positive (or negative)vote may have a pre-assigned value, which may increase (or decrease) aweighted average over time. Alternatively, the positive (or negative)voting may increment (or decrement) the running average or metric.

In various embodiments, the preference indicators 1557, 1558 providevisual feedback as a user indicates a preference. For example, as shownin FIG. 15B, the favorite indicator 1557 may change size, color,pattern, and/or some other characteristic to indicate that a user hasselected the favorite indicator 1557 or made a gesture that correspondsto the favorite indicator 1557. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15C, thediscard indicator 1558 may change size, color, pattern, and/or someother characteristic to indicate that a user has selected the discardindicator 1558 or made a gesture that corresponds to the discardindicator 1558.

In some embodiments, the user may provide additional informationregarding their selected preference for the diamond listing 1548 a. Forexample, in response to a selection of a preference indicator and/or agesture, the diamond selection system may display a prompt that allows auser to provide additional information about the diamond listing 1548 a.FIGS. 15D and 15E depict example prompts 1565 displayed in the userinterface 1515, for example in response to a user indicating apreference as described above. The prompts 1565 may provide one or moreuser-selectable options regarding the indicated preference. For example,as shown in FIG. 15D, in response to a user indicating a positivepreference, the prompt 1565 a may provide user-selectable options 1566a-d related to a user's reason for expressing a positive preference.Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15E, in response to a user indicating anegative preference, the prompt 1565 b may provide user-selectableoptions 1566 e-h related to a user's reason for expressing a negativepreference. In various embodiments, the user may select one or more ofthe user-selectable options 1566 to provide feedback to the diamondselection system. In some embodiments, in response to the user selectinga user-selectable option 1566, the diamond selection system displays anew diamond listing 1548.

The user-selectable options 1566 may correspond to diamond features,search parameters, rankings, or some combination thereof. The diamondselection system may update the search parameters and/or rankings inresponse to the user selecting one or more user-selectable options. Forexample, in FIG. 15D, the user-selectable option 1566 a (‘Love it’) mayindicate that the user likes several or all of the diamond featuresand/or the price of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Inresponse to a selection of the user-selectable option 1566 a, thediamond selection system may update the search parameters (e.g.,determine revised or updated search parameters) to include one or moreof the diamond features and/or the price of the diamond in the diamondlisting 1548 a. Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selectionsystem may update the ranking (e.g., determine a revised or modifiedranking) to rank one or more diamond features over one or moreadditional diamond features. Additionally or alternatively, the diamondselection system may update the presentation order. In some embodiments,the diamond selection system may alternatively or additionally determinean updated modification metric corresponding to one or more searchparameters, as discussed above.

Similarly, the user-selectable option 1566 b (‘Right Color’) mayindicate that the user likes the color of the diamond in the diamondlisting 1548 a. In response to a selection of the user-selectable option1566 b, the diamond selection system may update the search parameters toinclude the color of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Thediamond selection system may additionally or alternatively update thesearch parameters to exclude one or more diamond colors, such as thecolors besides the color of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe ranking, for example, to rank color over one or more diamondfeatures. Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection systemmay update the presentation order. In some embodiments, the diamondselection system may alternatively or additionally determine an updatedmodification metric corresponding to one or more search parameters, asdiscussed above.

The user-selectable option 1566 c (‘Right Price’) may indicate that theuser likes the price of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Inresponse to a selection of the user-selectable option 1566 c, thediamond selection system may update the search parameters to include theprice of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a and/or adjust a pricerange. Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system mayupdate the ranking to rank price over one or more diamond features.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe presentation order. In some embodiments, the diamond selectionsystem may alternatively or additionally determine an updatedmodification metric corresponding to one or more search parameters, asdiscussed above.

The user-selectable option 1566 d (‘Right Cut’) may indicate that theuser likes the cut of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Inresponse to a selection of the user-selectable option 1566 d, thediamond selection system may update the search parameters to include thecut of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. The diamond selectionsystem may additionally or alternatively update the search parameters toexclude one or more diamond cuts, such as the cuts besides the cut ofthe diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Additionally oralternatively, the diamond selection system may update the ranking torank cut over one or more diamond features. Additionally oralternatively, the diamond selection system may update the presentationorder. In some embodiments, the diamond selection system mayalternatively or additionally determine an updated modification metriccorresponding to one or more search parameters, as discussed above.

Although user-selectable options 1566 corresponding to cut, color, andprice are shown as examples in FIG. 15D, the user-selectable options1566 may correspond to any diamond features, other diamond listingcharacteristics, or combinations thereof. The user-selectable options1566 may additionally or alternatively correspond to one or moreadditional preferences of the user, such as those relating to the user'sfashion preferences, lifestyle, and the like.

Turning to FIG. 15E, the prompt 1565 b may provide user-selectableoptions 1566 e-h related to a user's reason for expressing a negativepreference. The user-selectable option 1566 e (‘Too Expensive’) mayindicate that the user thinks the price of the diamond in the diamondlisting 1548 a is too high. In response to a selection of theuser-selectable option 1566 b, the diamond selection system may updatethe search parameters to exclude the price of the diamond in the diamondlisting 1548 a and/or adjust a price range. Additionally oralternatively, the diamond selection system may update the ranking torank price over one or more diamond features. Additionally oralternatively, the diamond selection system may update the presentationorder and/or eliminate one or more diamond listings from thepresentation order. In some embodiments, the diamond selection systemmay alternatively or additionally determine an updated modificationmetric corresponding to one or more search parameters, as discussedabove.

The user-selectable option 1566 f (‘I don't like the shape’) mayindicate that the user does not like the shape of the diamond in thediamond listing 1548 a. In response to a selection of theuser-selectable option 1566 f, the diamond selection system may updatethe search parameters to exclude the shape of the diamond in the diamondlisting 1548 a. The diamond selection system may additionally oralternatively update the search parameters to include or exclude one ormore additional diamond shapes, such as excluding diamond shapes thatare similar to the shape of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe ranking to rank shape over one or more diamond features.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe presentation order and/or eliminate one or more diamond listingsfrom the presentation order. In some embodiments, the diamond selectionsystem may alternatively or additionally determine an updatedmodification metric corresponding to one or more search parameters, asdiscussed above.

The user-selectable option 1566 g (‘Not my style’) may indicate that theuser does not like the style of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548a, or that the user's reason for not liking the diamond is not listed inthe prompt 1565. In response to a selection of the user-selectableoption 1566 g, the diamond selection system may update the searchparameters to exclude one or more features or characteristics of thediamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Additionally or alternatively,the diamond selection system may update the ranking to rank one or morediamond features over one or more additional diamond features.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe presentation order and/or eliminate one or more diamond listingsfrom the presentation order. In some embodiments, the diamond selectionsystem may alternatively or additionally determine an updatedmodification metric corresponding to one or more search parameters, asdiscussed above.

The user-selectable option 1566 h (‘I like nothing about it’) mayindicate that the user dislikes several or all of the diamond featuresand/or the price of the diamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Inresponse, the diamond selection system may update the search parametersto exclude one or more of the diamond features and/or the price of thediamond in the diamond listing 1548 a. Additionally or alternatively,the diamond selection system may update the ranking to rank one or morediamond features over one or more additional diamond features.Additionally or alternatively, the diamond selection system may updatethe presentation order and/or eliminate one or more diamond listingsfrom the presentation order. In some embodiments, the diamond selectionsystem may alternatively or additionally determine an updatedmodification metric corresponding to one or more search parameters, asdiscussed above.

In some embodiments, the prompts 1565 are displayed each time a userindicates a preference. In some embodiments, the prompts 1565 aredisplayed only some times that a user indicates a preference. In someembodiments, the prompts 1565 are displayed responsive to a user input.The prompt 1565 may be displayed in response to a user input that isdifferent from a gesture used to indicate a preference. In someembodiments, the user may gesture in a first manner to indicate apreference and not trigger the prompt 1565 and in a second manner toindicate a preference and/or trigger the prompt 1565. For example, along swipe may be used to indicate a preference and not trigger theprompt 1565 and a short swipe (e.g., a half-swipe) may be used toindicate a preference and/or trigger the prompt 1565. In variousembodiments, various gestures or combination of gestures may be used toindicate a preference and/or trigger the prompt 1565. For example, thegesture may be a press-and-hold gesture, a swipe-and-hold gesture, ahalf-swipe-and-hold gesture, and so on.

As depicted in FIG. 15F, a new diamond listing 1548 d is displayed bythe diamond selection system on the display of the user computingdevice. In some embodiments, the diamond listing 1548 d is displayed inresponse to a selection of a preference indicator and/or a swipe to theleft or the right of a previous diamond listing (e.g., diamond listings1548 a, 1548 b, 1548 c, etc.). The diamond listing 1548 d is similar tothe diamond listing 1548 a, but displays information regarding adifferent diamond. The diamond selection system may present severaldiamond listings according to the determined presentation order.

As discussed above, in response to the search parameters and/or rankingsbeing updated or modified, the diamond selection system may determine amodified set of diamond listings, a modified subset of diamond listingsand/or a modified presentation order. This may occur while a user isstill interacting with the user interface 1515 and/or after the user'ssession has ended. In embodiments in which determining modified listingsand/or presentation order occurs while a user is interacting with theuser interface 1515, the diamond listings that are presented to the usermay change based on the modifications. For example, if a presentationorder is adjusted based on received user preferences or additionalinformation, an original sequence of diamond listings may be interruptedor replaced by a modified sequence of diamond listings according to theadjusted presentation order.

FIG. 16 depicts an example method of operating a diamond searchinterface. The method 1600 may be operated on a diamond selectionsystem, such as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-15 . The method1600 includes operation 1602, where an interactive diamond searchinterface is presented. The search interface may be generated and/orpresented on a user computing device through a portal (e.g., a remoteportal). The portal may be in communication with an application server,a database, a third party system, and other components of a diamondselection system as described with respect to FIG. 1 . The interactivediamond search interface may include graphical representations ofdiamond features (e.g., shape, cut, color, clarity, weight), along withselectable options for each diamond feature.

At operation 1604, search parameters (e.g., search options) arereceived. In some embodiments, some or all of the search parameters maybe received by selection of one or more selectable options from one ormore of the diamond features in the search interface. In someembodiments, some or all of the search parameters may be retrieved fromanother source, such as a user profile of the diamond selection system.In some embodiments, retrieved or selected search parameters arereceived for at least one diamond feature. In some embodiments,retrieved or selected search parameters are received for at least twodiamond features. In some embodiments, the diamond selection systemrequires that search parameters for a diamond shape and at least oneother diamond feature are retrieved or selected. In some embodiments,the diamond selection system requires that search parameters for eachdiamond feature shown in the search interface are retrieved or selected.Example search interfaces are described above with respect to FIGS. 2and 13A-B.

At operation 1606, a user ranking of the search categories or diamondfeatures is received, for example by a user input. For example, a usermay select an option for one or more of price, diamond shape, cut,color, clarity, and weight. In some embodiments, the user may rank thediamond features (e.g., through the interactive search interface) in anorder, such as color-clarity-cut-shape-price-weight, with color rankedfirst and weight ranked last. In some embodiments, the user may rank thediamond features in classes or tiers, such as indicating that cut andcolor are the most important while clarity, shape, price, and weight areless important. The user may not need to rank all of the searchcategories or diamond features. In some embodiments, the user ranks atleast two search categories with respect to each other, which may besufficient to provide a list of candidates that are curated to theuser's particular preferences. Example interfaces for receiving a userranking of search categories or diamond features are described abovewith respect to FIGS. 2 and 14 .

At operation 1608, a set of diamond listings is retrieved according tothe search parameters. In some cases, the set of diamond listings isselected using the user's ranking of search categories or diamondfeatures. In some examples, the search interface interacts with thediamond selection system to retrieve the set of diamond listings.Diamond listings (e.g., the set of diamond listings) may be retrieved bysearching for diamond listings which match some or all the searchparameters, diamond listings which match some of the search parameters,and/or diamond listings with values within a predetermined range of thesearch parameters. A search results list may be populated with the setof diamond listings, and in some embodiments all or a portion of thesearch results list may be stored in memory, such as memory on theapplication server.

At operation 1610, once a search results list has been populated, thesearch results may be grouped or further curated using the ranking ofsearch categories or diamond features. For example, the diamondselection system may determine a subset of the set of diamond listingsbased on the ranking of search categories or diamond features. In oneexample, a subset of the search results is selected that more closelymatches those diamond features or search categories that were highlyranked by the user.

At operation 1612, the diamond selection system may determine apresentation order based on the search parameters and/or the ranking. Insome embodiments, the search results may be organized or sorted into thepresentation order. In some embodiments, the search results may bedisplayed according to the presentation order. For example, the searchresults may be ordered with listings most closely matching the highestranked gemological feature first (e.g., color), followed by listingsmost closely matching the second highest ranked gemological feature(e.g., clarity).

At operation 1614, a diamond listing display is presented. The diamondlisting display may include one or more diamond listings forpresentation in the user interface. In some embodiments, a graphicalrepresentation of the ordered search results may be displayed on theuser computing device through the portal. In some embodiments, thesearch results are displayed sequentially (e.g., one at time) accordingto the updated presentation order (see, e.g., FIGS. 15A-15F). In someembodiments, multiple search results are displayed simultaneously (see,e.g., FIGS. 4A-4B. In some embodiments, the search results are displayedusing a combination of sequential and simultaneous presentation. Thesearch results list may be further interactive, such as to allow furthercomparisons between diamond listings in the search results, placing adiamond listing in a favorite list, seeking price comparisons, obtainingfurther details of a diamond listing, providing a user preferenceregarding a listing, providing additional information regarding alisting, and so on.

In some implementations, the user can change the ranking or preferenceof the search categories or diamond features and/or the searchparameters after viewing the diamond listing display. In particular, theuser may use an interface as described above with respect to FIGS. 2,13A-13B, 14 , and/or 15A-15F after viewing the search results ofoperation 1614. After receiving an input from the user that indicates apreference, modifies or updates the ranking, and/or modifies or updatesthe search preferences, the search results may be changed (e.g.,modified, resorted, regrouped, etc.) into a new set or subset oflistings that are determined in accordance with the updated or modifieduser ranking and/or search preferences.

FIG. 17 depicts an example method for providing updated listings inresponse to receiving a user input. The method 1700 may be operated on adiamond selection system, such as described above with respect to FIGS.1-16 . The method 1700 may be a continuation of the method 1600. Atoperation 1702, a user input is received that indicates a preferenceregarding a listing displayed at the user interface. For example, theuser input may be received based on a user interacting with the diamondlisting display discussed above with respect to FIG. 2 or 15A-15F. Atoperation 1704, the diamond selection system updates at least one of amodification metric, the search parameters or the ranking based on theindicated preference or a series of preferences. In some embodiments,the user input may directly correspond to an update of at least one ofthe search parameters or the ranking. In some embodiments, the diamondselection system determines whether one or more modification metricsexceeds a predetermined threshold, and updates at least one of thesearch parameters or the ranking in response to determining that the oneor more modification metrics exceed the predetermined threshold.

At operation 1706, the diamond selection system may retrieve an updatedset of diamond listings. In some cases, the set of diamond listings isselected using the updated ranking and/or search preferences. In someexamples, the search interface interacts with the diamond selectionsystem to retrieve the updated set of diamond listings. Diamond listings(e.g., the set of diamond listings) may be retrieved by searching fordiamond listings which match all the updated search parameters, diamondlistings which match some of the updated search parameters, and/ordiamond listings with values within a predetermined range of the updatedsearch parameters. An updated search results list may be populated withthe updated set of diamond listings, and in some embodiments all or aportion of the updated search results list may be stored in memory, suchas memory on the application server. In some embodiments, operation 1706is an optional step, and may be omitted from the method 1700. In someembodiments, the diamond selection system does not retrieve an updatedset of diamond listings and one or more subsequent operations areperformed on a previous set of diamond listings (e.g., the set ofdiamond listings retrieved in operation 1608 of FIG. 16 . In someembodiments, the diamond selection system combines a previous set ofdiamond listings with an updated set of diamond listings.

At operation 1708, the search results or updated search results may begrouped or further curated using the updated ranking of searchcategories or diamond features. For example, the diamond selectionsystem may determine an updated subset of the updated set of diamondlistings based on the updated ranking of search categories or diamondfeatures. In one example, an updated subset of the search results isselected that more closely matches those diamond features or searchcategories that were highly ranked according to the updated ranking. Insome embodiments, the updated subset may be determined by adding and/orremoving one or more diamond listings from a previous subset (e.g., thesubset determined in step 1610 of FIG. 16 ).

At operation 1710, the diamond selection system may determine an updatedpresentation order based on the updated search parameters and/or theupdated ranking. In some embodiments, the updated search results may beorganized or sorted into the updated presentation order. In someembodiments, the search results may be displayed according to theupdated presentation order.

At operation 1712, an updated diamond listing display is presented. Insome embodiments, the updated diamond listing display is combined with aprevious diamond listing display (e.g., the diamond listing display ofFIG. 16 ). In some embodiments, the updated diamond listing displayreplaces a previous diamond listing display. As described above, agraphical representation of the ordered updated search results may bedisplayed on the user computing device through the portal. In someembodiments, the search results are displayed sequentially (e.g., one attime) according to the updated presentation order (see, e.g., FIGS.15A-15F). In some embodiments, multiple search results are displayedsimultaneously (see, e.g., FIGS. 4A-4B. In some embodiments, the searchresults are displayed using a combination of sequential and simultaneouspresentation. The updated search results list (e.g., the diamondlistings) may be further interactive, such as to allow furthercomparisons between diamond listings in the search results, placing adiamond listing in a favorite list, seeking price comparisons, obtainingfurther details of a diamond listing, providing a user preferenceregarding a listing, providing additional information regarding alisting, and so on.

In some embodiments, one or more operations of the methods 1600, 1700are omitted or performed in a different order. In some embodiments,additional or alternative operations that are not shown are performed aspart of the methods 1600, 1700.

One may appreciate that although many embodiments are disclosed above,that the operations and steps presented with respect to methods andtechniques described herein are meant as exemplary and accordingly arenot exhaustive. One may further appreciate that alternate step order orfewer or additional operations may be required or desired for particularembodiments.

FIG. 18 is an illustrative block diagram of an electronic device 1808 asdescribed herein (e.g., electronic devices 108, 208, 308, 408, 508, 808,1108, 1308, 1508). The electronic device can include a display 1816, oneor more processing units 1800, memory 1802, one or more input/output(I/O) devices 1804, a power source 1806, and a network communicationsinterface 1810.

The display 1816 may provide an image or graphical output (e.g.,computer-generated image data) for the electronic device. The displaymay also provide an input surface for one or more input devices, suchas, for example, a touch sensing device and/or a fingerprint sensor. Thedisplay 1816 may be substantially any size and may be positionedsubstantially anywhere on the electronic device. The display 1816 can beimplemented with any suitable technology, including, but not limited toliquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting diode (LED)technology, organic light-emitting display (OLED) technology, organicelectroluminescence (OEL) technology, or another type of displaytechnology. The display 1816 provides a graphical output, for exampleassociated with an operating system, user interface, and/or applicationsof the electronic device 1808. In some embodiments, the display 1816 isconfigured as a touch-sensitive (e.g., single-touch, multi-touch) and/orforce-sensitive display to receive inputs from a user. In someembodiments, the touch-sensitive display includes one or more sensors(e.g., capacitive touch sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or other touchsensors) positioned above, below, or integrated with the display. Invarious embodiments, a graphical output of the display 1816 isresponsive to inputs provided to the electronic device 1808.

The processing unit 1800 can control some or all of the operations ofthe electronic device. The processing unit 1800 can communicate, eitherdirectly or indirectly, with substantially all of the components of theelectronic device. For example, a system bus or signal line 1812 orother communication mechanisms (e.g., electronic connectors) can providecommunication between the processing unit(s) 1800, the memory 1802, theI/O device(s) 1804, the power source 1806, and/or the networkcommunications interface 1810. The one or more processing units 1800 canbe implemented as any electronic device capable of processing,receiving, or transmitting data or instructions. For example, theprocessing unit(s) 1800 can each be a microprocessor, a centralprocessing unit, an application-specific integrated circuit, afield-programmable gate array, a digital signal processor, an analogcircuit, a digital circuit, or combination of such devices. Theprocessor may be a single-thread or multi-thread processor. Theprocessor may be a single-core or multi-core processor.

Accordingly, as described herein, the phrase “processing unit” or, moregenerally, “processor” refers to a hardware-implemented data processingunit or circuit physically structured to execute specifictransformations of data including data operations represented as codeand/or instructions included in a program that can be stored within andaccessed from a memory. The term is meant to encompass a singleprocessor or processing unit, multiple processors, multiple processingunits, analog or digital circuits, or other suitably configuredcomputing element or combination of elements.

The memory 1802 can store electronic data that can be used by theelectronic device. For example, a memory can store electrical data orcontent such as, for example, audio and video files, documents andapplications, device settings and user preferences, timing signals,signals received from the one or more sensors, one or more patternrecognition algorithms, data structures or databases, and so on. Thememory 1802 can be configured as any type of memory. By way of exampleonly, the memory can be implemented as random access memory, read-onlymemory, Flash memory, removable memory, or other types of storageelements, or combinations of such devices.

The one or more I/O devices 1804 can transmit and/or receive data to andfrom a user or another electronic device. The I/O device(s) 1804 caninclude a display, a touch or force sensing input surface such as atrackpad, one or more buttons, one or more microphones or speakers, oneor more ports such as a microphone port, one or more accelerometers fortap sensing, one or more optical sensors for proximity sensing, and/or akeyboard.

The power source 1806 can be implemented with any device capable ofproviding energy to the electronic device. For example, the power source1806 can be one or more batteries or rechargeable batteries, or aconnection cable that connects the electronic device to another powersource such as a wall outlet.

The network communication interface 1810 can facilitate transmission ofdata to or from other electronic devices. For example, a networkcommunication interface can transmit electronic signals via a wirelessand/or wired network connection. Examples of wireless and wired networkconnections include, but are not limited to, cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,IR, and Ethernet.

It should be noted that FIG. 18 is for illustrative purposes only. Inother examples, an electronic device may include fewer or morecomponents than those shown in FIG. 18 . Additionally or alternatively,the electronic device can be included in a system and one or morecomponents shown in FIG. 18 are separate from the electronic device butincluded in the system. For example, an electronic device may beoperatively connected to, or in communication with a separate display.As another example, one or more applications can be stored in a memoryseparate from the wearable electronic device. The processing unit in theelectronic device can be operatively connected to and in communicationwith the separate display and/or memory.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specificembodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustrationand description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings.

In particular, while the above examples are described with respect to asystem for searching for diamonds, this disclosure is not limited todiamonds alone, but can also be extended to systems which incorporateother gemstones (e.g., precious gems). Typically, a search systemaccording to the present disclosure will search for gemstones havingfeatures which similarly have varying qualities, such as the quality ofcut, the clarity of the gemstone, the size and/or weight of thegemstone, and similar features. Examples may include, but are notlimited to, beryl gems (e.g., emerald and aquamarine), amethyst, quartz,corundum (e.g., sapphire and ruby), alexandrite, zircon, and so on.Further, this disclosure can be extended to systems which incorporateother jewelry items, including settings, rings, pendants, bracelets,necklaces, earrings, and the like.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of operating adiamond search interface of a diamond selection system, the methodcomprising: generating an interactive search interface for display on aremote portal presented on a touchscreen display of a client device, theinteractive search interface comprising: selectable graphicalrepresentations of a set of diamond shapes; and selectable searchcategories, each search category having multiple selectable optionscorresponding to a diamond feature graded along a scale; receiving, fromthe remote portal, a selection of a first shape of the set of diamondshapes; receiving, from the remote portal, a selection of a firstselectable option of a first search category corresponding to a firstdiamond feature; determining a set of search parameters at leastpartially based on the first shape and the first selectable option;retrieving a first set of diamond listings from a database of thediamond selection system using the set of search parameters; generating,for display on the remote portal, a first set of diamond listing cards,each diamond listing card of the first set of diamond listing cardscorresponding to a respective diamond listing of the first set ofdiamond listings; displaying a first diamond listing card of the firstset of diamond listing cards on the remote portal, the first diamondlisting card corresponding to a first diamond listing of the first setof diamond listings and depicting an image of a diamond and one or morediamond features of the diamond; receiving a swipe gesture over thefirst diamond listing card, the swipe gesture having a gesturedirection, the gesture direction indicating a user preference regardingthe first diamond listing; in accordance with receiving the swipegesture, incrementing a modification metric in accordance with the userpreference; and in response to the modification metric exceeding athreshold: determining a set of updated search parameters; automaticallyobtaining a second set of diamond listings from the database using thedetermined set of updated search parameters; generating, for display onthe remote portal, a second set of diamond listing cards, each diamondlisting card of the second set of diamond listing cards corresponding toa respective diamond listing of the second set of diamond listings, thesecond set of diamond listing cards having a presentation orderdetermined in accordance with the determined set of updated searchparameters; and displaying a diamond listing card of the second set ofdiamond listing cards on the remote portal.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising, in accordance with the user preference being apositive preference, decrementing the modification metric.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising, in accordance with the modificationmetric not exceeding the threshold, displaying a second diamond listingcard of the first set of diamond listing cards on the remote portal. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the swipe gesture causes the firstdiamond listing card to move off of the touchscreen display in adirection corresponding to the gesture direction.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising, in response to receiving the swipe gesture,displaying, on the remote portal, a set of user-selectable optionscorresponding to the user preference.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein:a first user-selectable option of the set of user-selectable optionscorresponds to a first diamond feature of the diamond; and a seconduser-selectable option of the set of user-selectable options correspondsto a second diamond feature of the diamond.
 7. The method of claim 5,further comprising: receiving a user selection of a user-selectableoption of the set of user-selectable options; and further incrementingthe modification metric in accordance with the user-selectable option.8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the swipe gesture having a firstgesture direction indicates that the preference is a positivepreference; the swipe gesture having a second gesture directionindicates that the preference is a negative preference; and the methodfurther comprises: in response to receiving the swipe gesture in thefirst gesture direction, displaying, on the remote portal, a first setof user-selectable options corresponding to the positive preference; andin response to receiving the swipe gesture in the second gesturedirection, displaying, on the remote portal, a first set ofuser-selectable options corresponding to the negative preference.
 9. Amethod of presenting precious gems according to user preferences,comprising: generating, for display on a touchscreen display of a clientdevice, precious gem features, each precious gem feature comprisingselectable options; receiving, via the touchscreen display of the clientdevice, a user selection of a first option of a first precious gemfeature; receiving, via the touchscreen display of the client device, auser selection of a second option of a second precious gem feature;determining a set of search parameters based on the selected firstoption and the selected second option; determining a first set ofprecious gem listings based on the set of search parameters; displayinga first precious gem listing card on the touchscreen display of theclient device, the first precious gem listing card corresponding to afirst precious gem listing of the first set of precious gem listings andcomprising an image of a precious gem and one or more precious gemfeatures of the precious gem; receiving, via the touchscreen display, aswipe gesture on the first precious gem listing card of the clientdevice; responsive to the swipe gesture having a first gesturedirection: causing the first precious gem listing card to move off thetouchscreen display in a first direction corresponding to the firstgesture direction; and incrementing a modification metric correspondingto at least one of the first precious gem feature or the second preciousgem feature; responsive to the swipe gesture having a second gesturedirection, different from the first gesture direction: causing the firstprecious gem listing card to move off the touchscreen display in asecond direction corresponding to the second gesture direction; anddecrementing the modification metric; and in response to themodification metric exceeding a threshold: determining a set of updatedsearch parameters corresponding to the first precious gem feature andthe second precious gem feature; automatically obtaining a second set ofprecious gem listings using the set of updated search parameters; anddisplaying a second precious gem listing card corresponding to a secondprecious gem listing of the second set of precious gem listings on thetouchscreen display of the client device, an order of the second set ofprecious gem listings determined in accordance with the set of updatedsearch parameters.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, inaccordance with the modification metric not exceeding the threshold,displaying a third precious gem listing card corresponding to a thirdprecious gem listing of the first set of precious gem listings on thetouchscreen display of the client device.
 11. The method of claim 9,wherein: the swipe gesture having the first gesture directioncorresponds to a negative preference regarding the first precious gemlisting; and the swipe gesture having the second gesture directioncorresponds to a positive preference regarding the first precious gemlisting.
 12. A diamond selection system, comprising: a database; adevice comprising a touchscreen display and operating an access portalpresented on the touchscreen display; and an application serverconfigured to: generate a diamond selection interface for display usingthe access portal; receive, from the access portal, search parameterscomprising two or more of: a diamond shape, a cut, a color, a clarity,or a weight; receive, from the access portal, a search request; inresponse to receiving the search request, determine, based on the searchparameters, a first set of diamond listings from the database; generate,for display on the access portal, a first set of diamond listing cardscorresponding to the first set of diamond listings that is selectedaccording to the search request and the search parameters; cause theaccess portal to display a first diamond listing card of the first setof diamond listing cards, the first diamond listing card correspondingto a first diamond listing of the first set of diamond listings anddepicting an image of a diamond and one or more diamond features of thediamond; and in accordance with receiving, at the touchscreen display, aswipe gesture on the first diamond listing card: increment amodification metric corresponding to a search parameter of the searchparameters, the swipe gesture indicating a negative preference regardingthe first diamond listing; in response to the modification metricexceeding a threshold: determine a set of updated search parameters;automatically obtain a second set of diamond listings using the set ofupdated search parameters; generate, for display on the access portal, asecond set of diamond listing cards corresponding to the second set ofdiamond listings, the second set of diamond listing cards having anorder determined in accordance with the set of updated searchparameters; and cause the access portal to display a second diamondlisting card of the second set of diamond listing cards.
 13. The diamondselection system of claim 12, wherein: the swipe gesture is a firstswipe gesture having a first gesture direction; and the applicationserver is further configured to, in accordance with receiving, at thetouchscreen display, a second swipe gesture having a second gesturedirection different from the first gesture direction, cause the accessportal to display a third diamond listing card of the first set ofdiamond listing cards.
 14. The diamond selection system of claim 13,wherein the application server is further configured to: in accordancewith receiving the first swipe gesture, move the first diamond listingcard off of the touchscreen display in a first direction; and inaccordance with receiving the second swipe gesture, move the firstdiamond listing card off of the touchscreen display in a seconddirection.
 15. The diamond selection system of claim 12, wherein, inaccordance with the modification metric not exceeding the threshold,cause the access portal to display a third diamond listing card of thefirst set of diamond listing cards.
 16. A method for presenting diamondsin a user interface, comprising: receiving search parameters comprisingtwo or more of: a diamond shape, a cut, a color, a clarity, or a weight;receiving a first user input indicating a relative ranking of the searchparameters; determining a first set of diamond listings based on thesearch parameters and the relative ranking; determining a firstpresentation order for the first set of diamond listings based on thesearch parameters and the relative ranking; displaying, in the userinterface, a first diamond listing card corresponding to a first diamondlisting of the first set of diamond listings and depicting an image of adiamond and one or more diamond features of the diamond; receiving asecond user input indicating a preference regarding the first diamondlisting, the second user input comprising a swipe gesture on the firstdiamond listing card; in response to the swipe gesture having a firstgesture direction: incrementing a first modification metric; and inresponse to the first modification metric exceeding a first threshold:updating at least one of the search parameters or the relative rankingin a first manner; in response to the swipe gesture having a secondgesture direction: incrementing a second modification metric; and inresponse to the second modification metric exceeding a second threshold:updating at least one of the search parameters or the relative rankingin a second manner different from the first manner; automaticallyobtaining a second set of diamond listings using the at least one of theupdated search parameters or the updated relative ranking; anddisplaying, in the user interface, a second diamond listing card thatcorresponds to a second diamond listing of the second set of diamondlistings, the second set of diamond listings having an order determinedin accordance with the at least one of the updated search parameters orthe updated relative ranking.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein: theswipe gesture having the first gesture direction indicates that thepreference is a positive preference; and updating the at least one ofthe search parameters or the relative ranking in the first mannercomprises updating the search parameters to include at least one diamondfeature of a diamond listing displayed in the user interface.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: responsive to the swipe gesturehaving the first gesture direction, moving the first diamond listingcard off of a display in a first direction corresponding to the firstgesture direction; and responsive to the swipe gesture having the secondgesture direction, moving the first diamond listing card off of thedisplay in a second direction corresponding to the second gesturedirection.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein: the swipe gesture havingthe first gesture direction indicates that the preference is a positivepreference; the swipe gesture having the second gesture directionindicates that the preference is a negative preference; and the methodfurther comprises: responsive to the swipe gesture having the firstgesture direction, displaying, in the user interface, a first set ofuser-selectable options corresponding to the positive preference; andresponsive to the swipe gesture having the second gesture direction,displaying, in the user interface, a second set of user-selectableoptions corresponding to the negative preference.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein: a first user-selectable option of the first set ofuser-selectable options corresponds to a first diamond feature of thediamond; and a second user-selectable option of the first set ofuser-selectable options corresponds to a second diamond feature of thediamond.